


Gifted

by under_the_blue_moonlight



Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders
Genre: Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Manipulative Relationship, dark themes, super powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-03-28 19:20:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 25,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13910502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/under_the_blue_moonlight/pseuds/under_the_blue_moonlight
Summary: Four boys have been trapped in a strange facility for months. When they are brought together, they must use their unique abilities to uncover the truth as to why they're there, and escape.





	1. Chapter 1

‘Now, as the final part of the introduction tour, it’s time for you to see the subjects.’

‘Okay, sir. Am I going to talk to them, or...?’

‘Of course not. You’ll be viewing them on these cameras. Now, this is subject 22-9-18-7-9-12. He has the power of invisibility, being able to disappear at will. He also is able to create force fields. We got him in four months ago.’

‘How has he not escaped, with that ability?’

‘Tracking device on his ankle. The next is subject 16-1-20-20-15-14. Coming in four months ago, he can heal the injured. He also can converse with animals. Next, we have subject 12-15-7-1-14.’

‘Sir, the screen’s just static.’

‘Static? ...Oh, not again. That’s the third camera he’s broken this week. This subject, who was brought in two months ago, is able to move things with his mind.’

‘He’s telekinetic?’

‘Precisely. He’s used his abilities to rip the camera’s off the walls, cutting off the feed. He’s the only one to have even noticed the cameras. As well as telekinetic abilities, he has telepathy.’

‘I can’t help but notice that they all have two powers... Is it some sort of pattern?’

‘We thought the same thing, until a month ago, when subject 18-15-13-1-14 was brought in. He is pyrokinetic, being able to create and manipulate fire. But that is his only ability.’

‘Any other subjects?’

‘This is all we have for now, but we know there are more out there. However, I think it’s time to start the tests on our current group. Now, your duties while you are here will be simple. You will take food to the subjects at mealtimes, replace any destroyed cameras whilst they are sleeping, and monitor the cameras the rest of the time. But, who knows, if you do a decent job, you might just get a promotion. You’re first task is simple. Press that red button there. Then, the first test will begin.’


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The subjects meet for the first time.

Have you ever had that feeling where you wish you could just disappear? Virgil had. A lot. The only difference was he could actually do it. He didn’t know how or why, but ever since he was a child, he could make himself turn invisible at will. He never questioned it, however. With anxiety as bad as his, it was a godsend. As was his ability to make forcefields. Cutting himself off the rest of the world? Yes please!

Then again... for the past four months he’d been cut off from the world against his will.

He didn’t know where he was, how he got there or why was he was there. He was trapped in a plain white room with only a bed and a bookshelf. He couldn’t remember much from before he was there. He remembered that he’d lived with his father, his mother having left a few years ago. He had no siblings. He was bullied at school for being emo and for his severe anxiety. He was 15 years old.

However, he did not remember specifics. He could not remember his school’s name, he could not remember why he had such severe anxiety, he could not remember his parents’ names, or even his own last name.

His name was Virgil, he had strange abilities and was trapped in a weird place with no escape. That was the long and short of it. Nothing else was really there to note.

Until the wall opened.

A hole in the wall, the size of a doorway, just opened one day. No warning. It just happened.

Virgil was sat on his bed. He paused, staring at the gap before tentatively getting to his feet. Feeling his breathing and heart-rate increase, he began to walk slowly over to the hole.

_What are you doing? Stop! You have no idea what’s going on, what if someone wants to kill you?! Stop!_

His feet didn’t listen to the screaming in his mind. He stepped in front of the doorway...

Right into the view of the person of the other side.

‘AAAH!’

‘AAAH!’

Virgil’s instincts kicked in and he disappeared, invisible to the other person.

‘Whoa! No way! I thought I was the only one... This is amazing!’

Virgil looked up at the person on the other side. It was a boy, his own age. He had curly blonde hair and light blue eyes, and freckles across his cheeks. He wore a pair of glasses and had the same plain white shirt and black sweatpants Virgil wore, however the number sewn on the shirt was different.

‘Um... are you still stood in front of me? I can’t tell,’ he said, eyes wandering around the room.

‘I’m...r-right here,’ Virgil replied, still unsure. However, he revealed himself again.

‘Oh, hi there!’ the other boy giggled. Virgil raised an eyebrow, confused how calm and joyful this new person was. ‘Well, it’s nice to meet ya! My name’s Patton, what’s yours?’

‘...Virgil...’ He mumbled it quietly. He was always embarrassed by his name after being teased about it in middle school.

‘That’s an awesome name!’ Patton grinned. ‘I’m sure we’ll become fast friends. I’ve been here for about... three months. What about you?’

‘Um, four... W-wait a minute, what did you mean when you said you “thought you were the only one”?’ Virgil asked.

‘Well, ever since I was a kid, I’ve been able to heal people, oh, and I can talk to animals! I thought I was the only person who had powers like that, but you do too!’ Patton replied. ‘I wonder if there’s anyone else...’

‘I...’ Virgil was shocked. Just like Patton, he’d never known another person like him.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a loud noise. Patton turned and headed back into his room. Virgil followed, glancing around. Patton’s room was identical to his own. The only difference was the books on the shelf. Whereas Virgil had horror, thriller and poetry books, Patton had more childish books. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Harry Potter and the BFG were just some of the books.

‘Virgil, look!’ Patton was gesturing to the opposite wall. Yet another doorway was appearing. Once it had opened up, the two boys shared a glance and went to go through the hole. However, all they’d taken was one step when a voice spoke from the next room.

‘Greeting Virgil, Patton. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Logan, I have been here for two months. Yes, I also have powers. In fact, I am demonstrating one of them right now.’

Virgil and Patton shared another glance before heading into the next room. Sat there was another boy of their age. He had black hair and dark blue eyes. He wore glasses, the same ones as Patton, and wore the same uniform as the other two, only with a different number on his shirt. He was sat on his bed, reading a quantum physics book.

‘How did you...?’

‘Know your names?’ Logan interrupted Virgil. ‘As I said, I was demonstrating one of my abilities. I’m telepathic.’

‘Whoa! Cool!’ Patton grinned. 'Wait, what does that mean?'

'I can read minds. But, like you, that is not my only power. Observe.’ Logan closed his book and lifted it up. Then, it suddenly floated from his hand and onto its position on the shelf.

‘You’re telekinetic?’ Virgil gasped. ‘Correct.’ Logan stood, straightening his glasses. ‘By the way, in five seconds another doorway will open there.’ He pointed to the wall behind him. ‘When it does, duck.’

‘Quack.’

‘Wha...? Why?’ Virgil asked, ignoring Patton’s sound effect.

He didn’t get a response. Logan ducked, Patton followed suit. Virgil didn’t. However, as he saw a fireball flying towards his head, his reflexes kicked in and he was surrounded by a forcefield. The flames hit the barrier and disappeared.

‘Who are you?! Why are you trapping me here?!’ a yell came from the next room along. Logan stood back up straight and cleared his throat before calling through the newest doorway.

‘Falsehood. We are not the ones trapping you here. We are simply- '

He was interrupted as another fireball flew past, scorching his arm.

‘Agh!’ Logan clutched his burnt arm. Patton ran up to him, placing a hand on the injury and causing it to disappear. ‘Thank you.’ Logan turned back to the doorway, which yet another boy was stepping through. This one had tanned skin and auburn hair, with striking green eyes. He was holding two fireballs, one in each hand.

‘Answer me! Why are you keeping me here?!’ he yelled.

‘If you would stop yelling for one second, I will explain,’ Logan sighed. ‘You don’t need to be scared of us, Roman.’

‘How do you know my name?!’ the boy, Roman, growled.

‘I’m telepathic. Yes, the three of us have powers, just like you. We are not the ones trapping you here, we are merely other prisoners. My name is Logan, this is Patton and Virgil,’ Logan explained.

‘How can I believe you? I don’t even know who you are,’ Roman replied.

‘I literally just told you our names.’ ‘I know how we can show each other we’re trustworthy!’ Patton grinned. ‘We should all tell each other a secret we’ve never told anyone.’

‘Th-that’s a terrible idea,’ Virgil stuttered, paling at just the thought of it.

‘I second that,’ Logan added.

‘I think it’s a good idea,’ Roman smirked, finally making the flames in his hands disappear. Virgil glared at him. It seemed Roman already seemed to have a dislike for either him or Logan, despite that they’d only just met.

‘No, it’s not. I may have removed the camera, but I haven’t been able to check for microphones yet,’ Logan replied.

‘Wait... camera?’ Virgil asked.

‘Yes. Wait, you didn’t notice the cameras? They’re not exactly well hidden.’

And so, Logan found himself alone in his room as the other three ran into their own room on a camera hunt.

‘There are!’ Roman gasped, dramatically. ‘I can’t believe this! Mother f-!’

‘Father!’ Patton called.

‘Brother! I love word association games,’ Logan finished.

Meanwhile, Virgil was just stood there, staring at the camera in his room, silent. He couldn’t believe it. Four months... four months he’d been stuck in a room with strangers watching him through a camera. Monitoring his every move, judging his every action.

He felt his heart rate increase. Why was it so hard to breathe all a sudden?

He collapsed to his knees, shaking. His chest felt tight. His vision was hazy. He couldn’t breathe at all...

‘Virgil? Virgil!’ he heard Patton’s voice faintly in his ears. ‘Guys, something’s wrong with Virgil!’

‘He’s having a panic attack,’ Logan’s voice said.

‘A panic attack...? What do we do?!’

‘We need to calm him down. Virgil, take a deep breath in for five seconds, hold it for two, then let it out for five.’

Virgil did so.

‘Okay, now keep doing that. You don’t have any medication, so trying to control your breathing is all you can do.’

Virgil continued breathing deeply, his vision clearing. Patton was sat next to him, a very concerned expression on his face. Logan had stood up, holding his hands up at the camera. He then proceeded to rip the camera off the wall. Roman was stood just inside the doorway, looking a bit uncomfortable.

Finally, Virgil’s heart rate had returned to normal.

‘How’re you feeling?’ Patton asked.

‘Better...’ Virgil sighed. ‘I should probably tell you, I have really bad anxiety. Though I guess it’s kind of obvious after that...’

Everyone was silent for a few seconds.

‘I’m pansexual,’ Patton broke the silence.

‘What?’ Virgil asked, confused as to why Patton felt the need to come out to them.

‘Well, I thought if you told us you have anxiety, we should all do what I suggested and say a secret. I haven’t come out to anyone yet, so I thought...’ Patton shrugged. Virgil couldn't help but smile a bit at the kind gesture.

‘If that’s the case, I feel I should say something as well,’ Roman took a deep breath, as if preparing to say something extremely personal. ‘I... think your eyeshadow makes you look like an emo nightmare, Virgil.’

‘Seriously?’ Virgil raised an eyebrow.

‘It’s something I’ve never told anyone,’ Roman shrugged. ‘It follows the rules Patton set. Anyway, Logan?’

They turned to the final person in the room. Logan sighed. ‘I... I almost killed my brother once.’

The other three were silent, staring at Logan with wide eyes.

‘That is a lot worse than I thought you were gonna say,’ Roman took a step back, preparing to run.

‘It’s a long story. Well, I’m not sure. I don’t remember, really. I... don’t remember a whole lot from before I got here...’

‘Huh... me neither,’ Patton realised.

‘Nor do I,’ Roman agreed. ‘I don’t even remember my last name!’

‘They must have wiped our memories or something,’ Virgil said. ‘Do you remember how you got here? Like, do you remember anyone kidnapping you?’

Patton and Roman shook their heads.

‘None of us do,’ Logan replied. ‘However, I think there is a way we can find out.’


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In an attempt to find out how they ended up being trapped, Logan enters Patton's memories.

‘Explain,’ Roman ordered.

‘Well, one thing I do recall from before we arrived here was that I had been testing out the parameters of my powers. One thing I’ve learnt I can do it access people memories. I’m not sure if it will work, given as none of us can remember, but I do believe it’s worth a try,’ Logan explained. ‘It’s your choice.’

‘Well, it’s sounds like it’s worth a shot,’ Patton shrugged.

‘I-I’m not so sure...’ Virgil stared at his feet.

‘You don’t have to if you don’t want to,’ Logan reassured. ‘Patton, come with me.’

Patton got to his feet and followed Logan through the doorway and back into Logan’s room.

‘Lie down on the bed and close your eyes.’

Patton did as the other boy said. Logan placed a hand on Patton’s forehead and, closed his eyes, concentrating hard...

He opened his eyes to find himself stood in a backyard. The sun was shining above him, and the sky was a calming blue. It was a refreshing change from the white room he’d previously been in.

His attention was drawn away from his surroundings at the sound of yells and laughs. Two boys were running around, playing tag. Logan couldn’t recognise the younger one. He had brown hair and was wearing a green t-shirt and denim shorts. He seemed about seven years old.

The other boy, the older one, was a lot more recognisable. Brown hair, glasses. He was wearing a light blue t-shirt and cargo shorts. He seemed about eight or nine.

Patton.

Logan watched as the two children ran and played. However, the younger boy suddenly tripped.

‘Ow!’

‘Jack! Are you okay?!’ Patton ran up to the boy, a look of concern on his face.

‘My leg...’ Jack gestured to his knee, which had a large gash in it. ‘It really hurts!’

Patton placed a hand upon it. ‘Oh, um... I-I’ll go get Mum and Dad!’ He got to his feet and turned to head into the house.

‘Pat...’ Jack called back. Patton turned back, and his eyes widened. The gash on Jack’s leg was gone, as was the blood that had been pouring from it. ‘You... you healed me! I can’t believe this! MY BROTHER’S A SUPER HERO!’

‘I... how did I do that?’ Patton gasped, staring at his own hands in amazement.

‘Well... have you come across any radioactive spiders? Or are you actually an alien our parents adopted?’ Jack joked. ‘It doesn’t matter! What matters is that it’s awesome!’

Patton laughed at his brother. And that’s when the surroundings began to melt away before Logan’s eyes, before forming a new memory.

He found himself stood in a living room. Patton and Jack looked about a year or two older. Both were blindfolded. A woman, presumably their mother, was stood in front of them.

‘What’s going on?’ Jack asked, attempting to peek through a gap in his blindfold.

‘No peeking!’ his mom said. ‘Don’t worry, boys, it won’t be long.’

‘Boys, say hello to the new member of the family!’ a man came into the room, holding a leash which was attached to the collar of...

‘A puppy!’ Patton’s eyes sparkled as he caught sight of the small black canine.

‘This is amazing! What shall we call him?’ Jack asked.

‘Oh, how about Padfoot?’ Patton turned to the puppy, kneeling down and scratching its head.

And that’s when he started barking.

Logan watched as the other family members’ faces turned to that of confusion and surprise.

The puppy barked and panted back, and it was Patton’s turn to be surprised.

‘Did... did the dog just speak English?’ he gasped.

‘No... you spoke dog!’ Jack’s face lit up. ‘See, Mom, Dad, I told you Pat had powers! He healed my cut, and he can speak to dogs!’

‘I-I...’

‘W-Well...’

The parents shared an exasperated look. Patton just sat there as the dog licked his face and Jack laughed.

Once again, the surroundings melted away, before reforming into a street. Patton and Jack were walking down the sidewalk, Padfoot beside them on his leash. The two boys looked older still, Patton looking the age he was in the present. He had light blue polo shirt on, and had a grey cardigan tied over his shoulders.

_He looks like a dad... Forget Mom Friend, Patton’s the Dad Friend. Oh god, I hope he doesn’t make dad jokes._

‘Well, it sounds like your day was **ruff**!’ Patton winked at his brother.

‘Ugh, damn...’ Logan sighed, face palming.

‘Hey, Pat, why don’t we get some ice cream? I know it will make me feel better,’ Jack gestured to the van sat on the curb.

‘Sounds great! Lucky I brought some money.’

The two boys made their way up to the window.

‘Hi, two chocolate ice creams, please!’ Patton requested.

He handed over the money, and soon after they were given the ice creams. They turned and started licking them. As they did so, Padfoot started barking.

‘Huh?’ Patton turned to the dog. ‘Wait, the ice cream's drug- ?!‘

He paused mid-sentence before collapsing. His head automatically healed itself as it was bludgeoned against the concrete.

‘Pat? Pat!’ Jack fell to his knees beside his brother, shaking him. ‘Patton, wake up! What’s going on?! Please wake up!’

Logan’s attention was drawn away from the boys at the sound of a car door opening. A person had stepped out from the back of the ice cream van. His features could not be seen, as he was shrouded by a cloak. The cloak was black with a yellow lining. The figure made his way up to the two boys.

‘Wh-who are you? What have you done to my brother?!’ Jack growled, tears streaming down his face.

The figure didn’t answer. He knelt down and whispered quietly. ‘Your brother will be fine. Go home.’

A dazed expression had come over Jack’s face. He stood and turned, walking away, pulling a whimpering Padfoot along with him.

The figure lifted Patton in his arms and put him in the back of the van. The figure climbed in after, shutting the van doors. Then, they drove away.

Logan blinked, and found himself back in his white room.

He removed his hand from Patton’s head. The other boy opened eyes.

‘What happened? Did it work?’ he asked, adjusting his glasses, which had slipped down.

‘Yes,’ Logan replied.

‘What did you see?’

‘I saw your family. It looks happy. Mother, father, a brother called Jack and a dog named Padfoot.’

Patton eyes had widened, remembering everything as Logan had said it.

‘I also saw how you were kidnapped,’ Logan continued.

‘Who did it?’

‘I couldn’t see their face. They were wearing a cloak and the hood was pulled up.’

‘Oh... well, maybe Roman and Virgil might have seen the face. C’mon!’ Patton grabbed and pulled Logan to the door.

‘I’m coming. You don’t have to drag me, Pat,’ Logan pulled his wrist from Patton’s grasp.

‘...Pat?’

‘Oh, um, sorry. I won’t call you that if you prefer I didn’t.’

‘No, it’s okay, Lo!’ Patton replied, smiling. His grin dropped when he noticed that Logan had stiffened, his face darkening. ‘A-are you okay? I’m sorry if you don’t like being called that! I won’t do it again.’

‘It’s fine, I just... Let’s get the others.’


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan delves deep into Roman's memories in the hopes of discovering who the mysterious hooded figure is.

‘So, what should I expect? Will I be relieving all of my most embarrassing moments?’

‘Of course not. Well, maybe. With Patton, I saw how he discovered his abilities and when he was kidnapped. It might be the same with you, or I might see more or less. I can’t really control it yet. Now, lay down here.’

Roman did so, posing on the bed. ‘You’d better not mess up my hair, Microsoft Nerd.’

Logan rolled his eyes as he placed a hand on Roman’s forehead. He closed his eyes, concentrating...

He opened them and found himself in the corridor of a school. Roman was walking... no, strutting out of one of the classrooms. He was wearing a red shirt with white jeans and a white jacket, along with red converse to finish the look.

He wasn’t walking for long, however, because a group of people suddenly appeared at the end of the corridor, blocking Roman’s path.

‘Well, well, well. If it isn’t Prince Roman,’ the boy in the centre sneered. ‘You off to your palace to play with your horses and order around your servants?’

Roman sighed. ‘If you must know where I’m off to, Drake, I have a very important rehearsal to get to, so if you don’t mind, could you show some respect for others for once and get your cronies to move aside.’

Drake just laughed before doing over dramatic bow. ‘Respect earned, your majesty! You know, just because you have famous parents doesn’t mean you can boss others around like that.’

‘You’re one to talk, Surly Temple.’

And that’s when Roman was grabbed by the collar and shoved against the wall.

‘You wanna call me something like that again?!’ Drake growled. Roman just smirked.

‘How about I do, Marylin Monrose?’

Logan winced as he watched Roman get kneed in the privates. Then, he was dropped to the floor and kicked in the stomach... and the face.

Drake finally stepped back. Roman had a bloody nose his eye was turning black and purple. He attempted to push himself back to his feet, but Drake put his foot on Roman’s head and pushed him back down.

‘You think I’m gonna let you get away that easily? Nah, I wanna have a little more fun first. I wonder...’ Drake reached into his pocket and pulled out a razor. ‘What would you look like without any hair?’

Roman face turned to that of pure fury as Drake flicked the razor on.

And that’s when Roman burst into flames.

His entire body was consumed by fire, and the flames caught on Drake’s jeans.

‘AAAH!’

‘RUN!’

The group bullies ran from the corridor, Drake desperately batting on the flames on his leg. Roman was still engulfed in fire, but he wasn’t in pain or screaming. Suddenly, the fire alarm rang out and the fire sprinklers activated. As the water hit Roman, he turned back from his fire form to his normal one. He stared at himself, shocked.

‘Whoa.... OH, SHIT! I’m late for rehearsals!’

As Roman turned and ran, the surroundings melted away and Logan found himself stood outside of a huge house. It was almost a mansion! He heard footsteps and saw Roman making his way to the front door. He looked a few years older, about fourteen.

Roman pressed a button on the intercom outside the door before singing the line of a song:

‘I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream!’

There was a click and Roman pushed open the now unlocked door. Logan followed him as he stepped inside.

‘Mom, I’m home!’ Roman called.

‘Hello, honey, how was school?’ a brunette woman stepped into the hall. ‘Where’s Valerie? I thought she was coming for dinner today.’

‘We broke it off. It wasn’t working out,’ Roman shrugged. ‘We’re still on good terms, though. Still friends.’

‘Oh... well, I’m glad you two worked it all out okay. Do you want to watch a movie? We could put on one of your favourites?’

‘No, I’m going to my room. Maybe later. Farewell, Mom.’ Roman headed upstairs and into his bedroom, Logan following behind.

Roman’s room was covered wall to wall with Disney posters, playbills from performances and photos of him in costumes. He had a four-poster bed which had Disney sheets on. 

Roman sat on his bed. He pulled out his phone and called someone.

‘Hey, Val... No, I haven’t told them yet... Oh, come on, give me a break! It’s not everyday you have to go up to your parents and say, “Hey, Mom, Dad, you know how I’m a very romantic person? Well, it turns out, those feelings I have are only really felt towards guys!” It’s hard. I don’t know what they’ll say. They might accept me, or they might turn out to be homophobic. Not to mention, if I tell them, it will eventually spread until the entire world knows the child of singer Eleanor Black and actor Henry Prince is gay. And you know who is included in everyone: Drake... I know... I just think I’ll wait until I actually have a boyfriend. It’ll be easier to tell them then... Thanks. Farewell, Val.’

Roman hung up the phone before sighing, laying back on his bed. He held his palm out in front of him, a fireball appearing in it.

‘I wish my life were a fairy-tale, and a dashing prince were on his way to sweep me off my feet and solve all my problems. But I guess real life isn’t like that. I can have fire magic, sure, but a prince, no! That’s too much!’

He closed his palm, making the fireball disappear.

‘It’s okay, Roman. Just one more year before you’re off to high school. Then, you won’t have to deal with Drake anymore. And maybe you’ll even find your prince there...’

Once again, the surroundings began melting away. Logan watched as he found himself no longer stood in a bedroom, but in the wings of a stage. He peered out from the curtains, where he saw Roman centre stage in a prince costume, taking a bow to an applause from the audience. Roman waved to the crowd doing their standing ovation, before the curtains closed. The cast began to make their way off the stage through the wings. Roman made his way backstage, a proud smirk on his face. Logan followed him until Roman was suddenly stopped when someone stepped in front of him.

A hooded figure in a black and yellow cloak.

‘Roman Prince?’

‘Yes?’

‘It’s nice to meet you. You see, I’m the casting director for an up and coming musical that will premier on Broadway in a couple of years. After seeing today’s performance, I believe that you may have what it takes to be the main role.’

‘Really?!’ Roman gasped.

‘Yes. Now, if you come with me to somewhere more private, we can discuss the details of the auditions.’

Roman didn’t question it at all and followed the hooded person from the building, leaving from the back entrance. Logan was concerned that Roman wasn’t fazed by the ominous white van sat at the end of the alley. 

‘So, what’s this musical going to be?’

‘It’s the story of a young boy with fire magic who is kidnapped by a mysterious hooded figure.’

‘What-?’

Roman was unable to finish as the person injected something in his neck. Roman collapsed to the ground. The figure lifted him up and placed him in the van. They then got in the front and drove away.

Logan blinked and he was back in his white room.

‘So, how did it-?’

‘You’re an idiot.’

‘What?!’ Roman gasped, offended.

‘Did you seriously trust a mysterious person in a cloak who owned a plain white van?’

Roman folded his arms. ‘He was very charismatic. And whoever it was, they kidnapped you too, so you can’t say much, Microsoft Turd.’

‘Didn’t you use that same insult earlier?’

‘It was a variation! Anyway, what else did you see?’

‘Apparently, you’re mother’s a singer and your dad’s an actor. I don’t think you have any siblings,’ Logan explained.

‘Oh, I remember!’ Roman gasped, leaping to his feet. ‘Eleanor Black and Henry Prince. They were the ones who showed me the wonders of theatre!’

‘I also saw how you discovered your ability. You were at school. There was this boy, Drake.’

‘Oh... Drake...’ Roman sneered. ‘I set his jeans on fire, right? He deserved it...’ He waited for Logan to continue. ‘...Anything else?’

‘...No,’ Logan lied. He decided it would be best not talk about the phone call he saw Roman make. It seemed Roman was not ready for others to know about his sexuality. ‘Now, I wonder if Virgil is willing to let me look into his memories. Maybe, unlike you and Patton, he actually saw the face of the person who kidnapped us.’


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a bit dark when Logan looks into both his own and Virgil's minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains themes of abuse and neglect. If you are not comfortable with this, this chapter is not for you.

‘Why am I doing this?’

‘Because the other two were not helpful. All I learnt was that Patton is a dad-friend and Roman cannot be trusted to make wise decisions.’

‘I HEARD THAT, ERLENMEYER TRASH!’

‘You were meant to.’

Virgil was led down on the bed, Logan stood next to him.

‘Are you ready?’ Logan asked.

‘As I’ll ever be,’ Virgil sighed.

Logan placed a hand on Virgil’s forehead and, for the third time, closed his eyes. He opened them to find himself...

Still in the white room.

‘Virgil?’

‘Yeah...?’

‘You need to actually let me into your mind. Otherwise, I can’t see your memories.’

‘Oh, sorry. Try again.’

Logan did so. This time, when he opened his eyes, he was once again in a school corridor. He heard panting followed by heavy footsteps and turned to see a young Virgil sprinting down the corridor. He was wearing a black shirt, black hoodie and black jeans. He kept checking behind him, as if seeing if he were being followed. He sprinted down the corridor until he came to a cupboard. He pulled open the door and leaped inside before pulling it shut behind him. Logan heard more footsteps and turned to see a group of slightly older kids coming down the corridor.

‘Where’d he go?’

‘We had sight on him. He can’t have left this corridor. He’s hiding. Search the place!’

They group began looking all around the corridor, peering into empty classrooms and checking inside lockers. Suddenly, there was a thud from the cupboard.

‘I think we’ve found him,’ one of the kids grinned, making their way towards the cupboard. They reached out and opened the door...

To find it empty.

‘False alarm,’ the kid called out. ‘He’s not here.’

‘He’s not in this corridor. He must be faster than we thought. Come on!’

And, with that, the kids ran from the corridor.

The door to the cupboard opened and footsteps sounded on the floor as someone invisible left it. Suddenly, Virgil reappeared, shocked at himself. He just stood there, gaping.

Until he turned and ran the opposite way the older kids had gone.

The surroundings started melting way, and Logan found himself stood in a bedroom. A very small bedroom. It was filled with cobwebs. Spider pattern curtains were drawn over the window, enveloping the room in darkness. The walls were covered in band posters: My Chemical Romance, Panic! At The Disco and Fall Out Boy were just a few.

Logan could hear distant yells. It sounded like two people, a man and a woman, arguing loudly. Virgil was there, a few years older. He was wearing a black and purple hoodie, purple shirt and black ripped jeans. He was sat on his bed, hugging his legs to chest. Tears were flooding down his cheeks, smudging his eyeshadow. He had headphones on, the volume turned up so loud that Logan could hear the music.

The yelling from downstairs was growing louder, and soon that wasn’t the only sound. There were crashes and thuds... screaming.

Virgil sobbed harder and turned his music up even louder in the hopes to drown the noises out.

‘Why won’t he stop...? Why won’t he leave her alone? Why won’t he just leave us?!’ Virgil growled, pressing his headphones against his ears.

Then, everything went quiet. The shouting, screaming and crashing was silenced, and the only sound was Virgil’s music. He slipped his headphones off his ears and looked around himself to see a forcefield surrounding him. Virgil wasn’t as shocked this time; he looked relieved. Leaving the forcefield up, he rested his head on his pillow and pulled his duvet over him, using the silence as a chance to fall asleep.

Logan expected the surroundings to melt into a new memory, as they had all the previous times. However, something very different happened.

He felt like he’d been punched gut as he found himself back in the white room. Virgil was sat up on the bed. His eyes were watery. Before, Logan could say anything, Virgil stood and ran from the room.

‘Virgil!’ Logan called after him, but it was too late.

‘What’s going on?’ Patton had stepped into the room from the other doorway, Roman just behind him.

‘I... I think Virgil forced me out of his mind,’ Logan replied.

‘Wait, we could do that?!’ Roman asked. ‘Wish I’d known...’

‘What happened?’ Patton asked, voice full of concern.

‘I’m guessing what I saw was something he didn’t want me to see. His father seems to abuse his mother,’ Logan explained.

‘What?! That’s awful!’ Patton gasped.

‘What about the guy who kidnapped us? Did you see his face?’ Roman asked.

‘No. I didn’t even see when he was kidnapped. He forced me out before I could,’ Logan responded.

‘Well, it would be unfair to force Virgil to have to do that again. Lo, is there- ‘ Patton paused before changing his words. ‘Logan, is there any way you could look into your own memories?’

‘I’ve never tried before. It may work. I’ll give it a try.’

Logan took a seat on the bed and placed his hand on his forehead, closing his eyes.

When he opened them, his face fell. Not this memory...

A younger version of himself was alone in his house. Past Logan was in the kitchen, putting away dishes from the meal he’d had to make himself. The sound of the front door opening spread through the house, as did three voices.

‘I’m so proud of you! My son, going to Harvard!’

‘I know, Mum, you’ve said five times.’

‘You can’t blame us for being excited, son. What was going out for dinner for if we’re not going to celebrate?’

Logan’s father, mother and older brother all stepped into the living room, into view of both Past and Present Logan.

‘Oh, Logan!’ his mum gasped. ‘I forgot about you...’

‘It’s okay,’ Past Logan replied, stone faced. ‘I’m used to it.’

‘Oh, good.’ And with that, his parents made their way from the room.

Logan’s brother could sense something was off and made his way into the kitchen.

‘Hey, Lo, are you okay?’

‘I’m fine, Robert. Why wouldn’t I be?’ Past Logan responded, slight irritation in his voice.

Robert sighed. ‘You’re not. Look, Lo, please don’t get all salty with me. I didn’t choose to be Mum and Dad’s favourite, I just a- ’

That’s when a bunch of kitchen knives flew towards Robert.

Present Logan turned away as screams of pain erupted from the boy being sliced and impaled.

‘Oh god... Oh god!’ Past Logan yelled before running from the room. He headed up to his bedroom, slamming the door. He pulled out his phone, calling someone. He put it on speaker, hands shaking too much to hold the phone to his ear.

‘Hello?’

‘I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to, I...! I-I...!’

‘Logan, calm down. Take a deep breath.’

‘H-help... please...’

‘What happened?’

‘I-It was a mistake! I didn’t mean to hurt him, I swear!’

‘Logan, meet me at the library, now. Explain to me what happened there.’

The person on the other end of the line hung up. Three voices yelled downstairs.

‘Robert! What happened?!’

‘L-Logan! H-he...’

‘LOGAN! GET DOWN HERE NOW! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!’

Past Logan froze, before climbing out his window and down the drainpipe. He had to get to the library.

Present Logan, meanwhile, could hear a voice in his mind, calling his name...

‘Logan? Logan! Logan, please wake up!’

Logan opened his eyes too see Patton in front of him, shaking his shoulders.

‘Logan! Thank god!’ Patton wrapped his arms around Logan before the other boy could respond. ‘Are you okay? What happened?’

‘I...’ As Logan took a deep breath, regaining his composure, he noticed that his cheeks felt damp. He wiped his eyes before standing, pushing Patton off him. ‘I’m fine. It’s nothing. I didn’t see the kidnapper, let alone his face. I just... I need a moment to think.’ Logan turned and left the room, leaving Patton and Roman alone.

‘It’s official,’ Roman sighed. ‘We’re the sane ones surrounded by crazy people.’

‘Roman!’ Patton gave the other boy a light slap on the arm. He looked through the doorway Logan had gone through, sighing.

Meanwhile, Logan entered the last room, where Virgil was sat, staring at the wall. Logan took a seat next to them.

‘Parents are shit,’ Virgil sighed.

‘You can say that again,’ Logan agreed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope arrives in the form of a bag filled with food and a note from a potential saviour.

Eventually, Logan and Virgil made their way back to the other two and they all gathered in Patton’s room. Patton and Roman refrained from asking any questions about the previous events. The two of them just sat, discussing Disney films. Virgil fiddled with the tracking device on his ankle, attempting to find a way to pry it off. Logan had grabbed a book from his room and started reading.

They were suddenly interrupted by the sound of footsteps. The four of them immediately shot to their feet. Virgil surrounded them all with a forcefield, Roman prepared fireballs in his hands and Patton shuffled behind Logan.

A boy, their own age, made his way inside. He was wearing a lab coat, and had a grey cap. In his hand he held a duffel bag.

‘Logan, talk to us. Who is this?’ Virgil asked.

‘I can’t read his mind,’ Logan replied.

‘What?!’ Roman gasped. ‘Why not?!’

‘I think it’s the hat he’s wearing. Something on it is blocking the signal.’

‘Signal? What are you, a phone?’ Roman raised an eyebrow.

The boy placed the duffel bag on the ground. He gave the four boys a small smile before turning and leaving.

Virgil lowered the forcefield and Roman shuffled warily towards the duffel bag. He knelt down and unzipped it.

‘It’s food,’ he said, pulling out a punnet of strawberries. The other three came over as Roman unloaded the picnic left for them. There were sandwiches, fruit, potato chips and cookies.

‘This is amazing! All I’ve eaten since I got here has been cold soup,’ Patton grinned, reaching for a cookie.

‘Hold up,’ Virgil stopped him. ‘How do we know it’s safe? What if it’s been poisoned or drugged?’

‘Virgil makes a good point,’ Logan agreed.

‘Wait, there’s a note!’ Roman reached into the bag and pulled out a small slip of paper. The others leant over his shoulder and read it.

 

_Hey, it’s nice to finally talk to you. I work for the guy trapping you here. But don’t worry! I’m not one of the ‘bad guys’. I actually got a job here in order to help and rescue you.  I’m technically meant to be fixing the cameras, but I won’t, otherwise I won’t be able to keep doing this. I’m going to keep delivering food to you every day. Each bag will contain a note like this one, and each will contain information to help you escape. I’ve gained the boss’ trust, so I’ll be able to find out things no one else knows that could potentially save your lives._

_If you have any questions, write them on the back of this, I’ve left a pen in your bag to do so._

_I’ll see you guys later._

_\- The one person in this place you can trust_

_P.S. Virgil, check the side pocket._

Virgil unzipped the side pocket of the duffel bag. He reached inside and pulled out an iPod and earbuds. He turned it on and started scrolling through, seeing all his favourite songs had been downloaded onto it.

Logan, meanwhile, grabbed the pen from the bag and wrote some questions on the back of the note.

_Who are you? What’s your name?_

_Why are we trapped here?_

_Who is your boss?_

He paused before writing one more.

_Do I know your boss?_

‘Why would you know him?’ Roman asked.

‘When I heard his voice in your and Patton’s memories, I couldn’t help but feel I recognised it from somewhere. It’s probably nothing, but I still feel I should ask,’ Logan replied. He slipped the note back in the duffel bag. ‘However, there’s still the question on whether we can trust this person.’

‘Well, I’m not dead, so I think we can!’ Patton spoke through a mouth full of cookie.

‘Seriously?! For all you knew, you could have died!’ Virgil said.

‘Well, I figured that he wouldn’t go out of his way to buy and sneak you an iPod if he was just going to kill us,’ Patton replied.

‘He does make a good point,’ Roman agreed, taking a bite out of a sandwich.

Virgil sighed. ‘Pass me some chips, then.’

The four boys ate, savouring the flavours they’d gone for so long without. It was a lot of food, but they managed to demolish it all. Afterwards, they were all led down on the floor, too full to attempt to stand.

‘That was the best meal I’ve ever eaten,’ Patton sighed, patting his belly.

Virgil let out a yawn. ‘Man, I’m beat. Think I might get some shut eye.’

‘Oh, I have an idea!’ Patton grinned, sitting up. ‘How about we all move our beds into one room? It’ll be like a sleepover!’

‘Bad idea,’ Logan replied. ‘You see, I can’t just “turn off” my telepathy. I’m unable to sleep in the same room as other people, the noise of their thoughts and dreams keeps me up.’

‘Oh...’ Patton sighed. ‘Wait, I know!’ He reached for the note and added one more question to the list on the back.

_Can we get three of those hats that stop Logan from reading our minds?_

‘There! Maybe not tonight, but tomorrow night we can all have a sleepover,’ Patton smiled.

‘Sounds like a plan!’ Roman agreed.

And with that, the four boys said their goodnights before making their ways to their rooms.

As they slept, the boy from before made his way back into Patton’s room. He placed a second duffel bag on the ground before grabbing the first and rummaging inside, pulling out the note. He pulled a second piece of paper from his pocket and wrote a message. He placed the second note in the second bag. Then he stood and left, taking the first bag with him.

The next morning, Virgil, Logan and Roman were woken to Patton calling their names.

‘Guys, breakfast’s here!’

They all gathered in Patton’s room and their eyes lit up at the sight of the new duffel bag. They all ran over and Roman unzipped it. Logan pulled the note out.

_My name is Thomas. I’m not exactly sure why you’re trapped here. The boss is very...cryptic. Either that or he still doesn’t trust me enough to tell me. As for who he is, I’m not going to say. Whenever I’ve mentioned his name to Remy, he’s appeared behind me. I don’t want to risk him seeing me writing a note. As for whether you know him, Logan, I honestly don’t know. He’s never said anything to me about his or your pasts. I’ll see if I can find out._

_The hats your requested are at the bottom of the bag._

_Also, Patton, check the side pocket._

_\- The one person in this place you can trust: Thomas Sanders_

_P.S. Why would enclosed rooms with no doors and windows be so cool?_

Patton immediately unzipped the side pocket, a grin appearing on his face.

‘Wherever you are, Thomas, thank you!’ he yelled, hugging the plush dog that had been in the bag.

‘What’s with the last sentence?’ Virgil asked. ‘What does it mean?’

‘Wait a minute... he said that he would be helping us escape. The first step to planning an escape would be to find a way out of these rooms,’ Logan began. ‘With no doors or windows, the only thing that can keep these rooms cold is ventilation.’

‘Air vents that we can crawl through!’ Virgil finally understood.

‘Logan, you’re a genius!’ Patton praised.

‘Well, um, thank you, Patton,’ Logan smiled.

Why did Patton’s stomach feel funny when he saw that goofy smile on the telepath’s face? Maybe he was getting sick... he had eaten a lot of cookies the night before.

‘And thanks to Thomas for working it out,’ Virgil added.

‘Well, what are we waiting for?’ Roman got to his feet. ‘Let’s find the vent shafts and get out of this place!’

‘Bad idea,’ both Virgil and Logan said in synchronisation.

‘We don’t know where the vents lead,’ Virgil said. ‘For all we know, we’ll end up in a room surrounded by armed guards.’

‘Exactly. Also, if we leave right now, we’ll have no way of contacting Thomas. He may have some more vital information that he needs to share before we attempt to leave,’ Logan added.

‘Not to mention, we haven’t eaten yet!’ Patton added, pulling out a box of cereal and styrofoam bowls from the bag. ‘Who wants milk?’

They four boys all began eating bowls of cereal in silence. Virgil had put his earbuds in and was humming along to Teenagers by My Chemical Romance. Logan started writing some more questions on the back of the note.

_Who’s Remy?_

_Where is this facility?_

_Will we be able to talk to you directly at any point?_

_Do you have abilities like us?_

_Does your boss?_

He slipped the note back in the bag before noticing something else lying in the bottom of it.

‘Yes!’ He reached inside and pulled out a jar of Crofters jam. He grabbed the spoon from his cereal, wiped it clean, before opening the jar. Virgil and Roman raised an eyebrow while Patton held back a laugh as Logan started eating the jam straight from the jar. ‘Yes, I know it seems weird, but I just love Crofters. Last time I checked, it’s not a crime.’

They continued finishing their breakfast until, suddenly, Virgil flopped to the floor, face down.

‘Uh, Virg? You okay, buddy?’ Patton asked, concerned.

Virgil didn’t respond. He just lifted his iPod, showing everyone the song that had just started playing: Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance.

‘Just when I thought you couldn’t get more emo,’ Roman sighed. ‘Look, hand that thing over. Let me put on some music that is actually good.’

‘How dare you say that the Holy Spirit is not good! It’s amazing!’ Virgil growled.

‘The Holy Spirit?’ Logan questioned.

‘Yeah. The Emo Trinity. Fall Out Boy is the father, Panic! At The Disco is the son, and My Chemical Romance is the Holy Spirit,’ Virgil explained.

‘Whatever. Now here’s a good song!’ Roman unplugged Virgil’s earbuds and pressed play.

‘ ** _I’m not a stranger to the dark_**

**_Hide away, they say, ‘cause we don’t want your broken parts_ **

**_I learnt to be ashamed of all my scars_ **

**_Hide away, they say, no one will love you as you are, but,_** ’

‘I won’t let them break me down to dust, I know that there’s a place for us,’ Roman sang. ‘For we are glorious!’

‘Ironic that you chose this song when we’ve literally spent our lives hiding our abilities from others, fearing they’d call us freaks,’ Logan commented.

‘Do you not like my music choice?’ Roman folded his arms, raising an eyebrow.

‘No, I do not. I’m not one for music and singing,’ Logan replied.

‘What’s next, are you going to say you don’t like theatre?’ Roman asked.

‘Professional make-believe? Of course not. Every theatrical performance is the same to me,’ Logan answered. ‘Whether it’s the Lion King or the Wiz, you can consider me one of Les Mis!’

‘Gah, you were attacking theatre, but that was a strong couplet!’ Roman growled.

‘Thank you.’

‘I have to know, was that trochaic octameter?’

‘Iambic pentameter.’

‘Classic!’

‘Aw, look at these two, bonding over poetry!’ Patton grinned.

‘I do have a strong appreciation for it,’ Logan replied.

‘Bunch of nerds,’ Virgil rolled his eyes.

Roman let out an offended scoff. ‘Don’t act like that, Jack Smellington, I saw the poetry books in your room!’

‘Hey, I just read it and write it, I don’t analyse techniques and nerd out over it,’ Virgil replied.

‘You write poetry?’ Patton asked.

‘Um, yeah, sometimes,’ Virgil shrugged. ‘I’m not very good. I just remember that, when things became too much for me to handle at home or school, I’d just get a pen and scrap of paper and let the words flow. I never really meant to show it to anyone.’

‘You should!’ Patton encouraged. ‘People could give you positive constructive criticism, so you can improve. Maybe, one day, you could even be a famous poet!’

‘...Nah, not gonna happen,’ Virgil shook his head.

‘Patton, do you like poetry as well?’ Logan inquired.

‘Well, I tried to get into it once, but I found it so confusing!’ Patton replied. ‘All the metaphors and symbolism just made it hard for me to understand. I prefer reading books. My favourite’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!’

‘I read that when I was a child. A classic,’ Roman nodded.

‘And a good movie. And terrible remake,’ Virgil added.

‘Though, you have to admit, the effects in the remake were much better,’ Logan replied. ‘I mean, the chocolate river didn’t even look like chocolate in the original.’

‘Huh, I didn’t think you’d be one for kids books and films, Logan,’ Roman said.

‘I don’t see it as a children’s book. When I read it, I saw it more as a thriller,’ Logan responded.

‘A thriller? Why?’ Patton asked. ‘It’s a heart-warming story about how, by being honest and kind, you will be rewarded for your good deeds! It encourages children to lead good and honest lives.’

‘While I admit, it can be read that way, I preferred reading it as a story about a mysterious recluse tempting children into his torture chamber disguised as a chocolate factory, before putting them through near-death experiences based around the things they love. The story ends with him brainwashing the final child into joining him,’ Logan explained.

‘Dark... Nice,’ Virgil smirked, nodding.

‘I... don’t think I’ll be able to read it the same way ever again...’ Patton fiddled with his shoelace.

‘I’m sorry if I ruined it for you. I can’t help that my five-year-old mind worked that way,’ Logan apologised.

‘Wait, you read it like that when you were five?!’ Roman gasped.

‘Yes. It was the only time I’ve read it,’ Logan replied. ‘I found it too outlandish for my tastes.’

Suddenly, the song on Virgil’s iPod finished playing and flicked onto another.

‘Thank god, it’s back to my playlist,’ Virgil sighed as I Write Sins Not Tragedies by Panic! At The Disco started playing.

‘No, please, not the emo music!’ Roman begged.

‘Now, now, kiddo, let him listen to what he wants to,’ Patton put his hands on his hips. ‘It is his iPod, after all- WAIT, DID IT JUST SAY WHORE?! Virg, I forbid you from listening to this, I do not want my dark strange son corrupted!’

‘Kiddo? Dark strange son? Since when were you my da- ?’ Virgil paused.

‘Oh, I-I’m sorry! I forgot about... that...’ Patton quickly apologised.

An awkward silence hung over the four boys until it was broken by a new voice.

‘Sorry. Is this a bad time?’


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The escape plan is put into action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, this is not an April Fools Day prank. This is a genuine chapter.

Thomas was stood there, just inside the doorway. He gave the four prisoners a small smile.

‘The boss has headed out for the day and the other guys are taking the chance to skive. I thought this would be a good chance to actually talk to you. So, hi.’

‘Heya, kiddo! It’s nice to properly meet you!’ Patton smiled.

‘Well, I guess one of my questions is answered,’ Logan said, crossing off one of the questions he had written on the note.

Thomas peered at the note. ‘Oh, Remy’s one of the other guys working here. There’s four of us. I think we’re somewhere in Oregon.’

‘Oregon?!’ Roman gasped.

‘I live in Georgia! We’re on the other side of the country!’ Virgil ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

‘It’s not that bad! It can’t be,’ Patton insisted. ‘I mean, if we’ve been missing for so long, the news would have gotten out that four boys have been abducted. So maybe someone will recognise us when we get out of here and take us home.’

‘Or, we could do the logical thing and call the police,’ Logan said.

‘As for whether I have abilities, no, I don’t,’ Thomas answered the next question on the note.

‘So, you’re normal... What’s that like?’ Virgil asked. Thomas just laughed in response.

‘Yeah, the boss has powers. Shapeshifting and mind manipulation,’ he answered the final question.

‘Well, the fact he has powers confirms something,’ Logan sighed. ‘The reason he’s keeping us here isn’t because he believes that we’re freaks of nature and deserve to be separated from the rest of society. So, that means it’s highly likely he’s keeping us here because he wants us.’

‘What would some random guy we’ve never met want with three fifteen year olds and one fourteen year old?’ Roman asked.

‘That’s the thing, I don’t think he wants us, he wants to have our abilities at his disposal. The question still remains, why does he want our abilities, and why us specifically?’

‘Hold on, I thought we were all the same age,’ Patton said. ‘Which one of us is fourteen?’

‘You... are?’ Roman replied.

‘No, I’m fifteen,’ Patton told him.

‘But... you’re so small,’ Roman said. ‘Look, everyone stand up. See? I’m the tallest, then Virgil, then Thomas, the Logan and then you. You’re so tiny!’

‘Well, you know what they say, the best things come in the smallest packages,’ Patton replied as they all sat back down.

‘Then why am I so much better than all of you?’ Roman responded.

‘Wow, so modest,’ Virgil mumbled sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

‘What was that?’ Roman growled.

‘Now, c’mon, kiddos. Let’s not start fighting,’ Patton folded his arms.

‘I must agree with Patton on this one. Senseless bickering will never get us anywhere,’ Logan added.

‘Fine. But I will have my revenge, Charlie Frown!’ Roman threatened.

Attention was brought back to Thomas by the sound of him laughing. ‘Sorry, it’s just, I didn’t expect you all to start getting along so soon, especially with how different your personalities all are. You know, with teamwork skills like this, I think you’ll be able to escape sooner than I predicted.’

‘Really? How soon?’ Virgil asked.

‘Well, now would be the perfect time, since the boss is out,’ Thomas shrugged.

‘Well, let’s go, then!’ Roman leapt to his feet.

‘Not so fast! I need to go over the plan before we can do anything.’

Roman sat back down and everyone gathered around Thomas as he started explaining how they were going to escape.

‘Okay, so each of these rooms has an air vent in it. Each vent leads to a different place. Roman’s vent leads straight outside, it’s the most direct route out of here. There’s just one problem: this facility is in the middle of nowhere. It’s hundreds of miles from the nearest town. If we leave here through there, we’ll die of dehydration or starvation before we find civilisation. The good news is that there is another route we can take, with a much higher likelihood of survival: through the vent in Virgil’s room. That one leads to the corridor where the boss’ office is.’

‘Surely that’s a horrible idea,’ Virgil replied.

‘It sounds like it... but he actually keeps the ticket to our escape in there: teleportation crystals.’

‘Wait, you mean like those in Sword Art Online?’ Roman asked.

‘Exactly. You can all use them to head straight home,’ Thomas confirmed. ‘I’m not gonna be able to go with you, however. I have to watch for when the boss returns and, if you’re still here when he does, stall him. So, this is gonna be the last time I see you guys.’ Thomas got to his feet. ‘Good luck.’

‘Thank you, Thomas. I hope that we will one day meet again in much more fortunate circumstances,’ Roman expressed his gratitude.

‘See ya, kiddo! I’ll look you up when I get home,’ Patton smiled, hugging Thomas.

‘I appreciate the assistance you have given us,’ Logan shook Thomas’ hand. ‘Also, the Crofters.’

‘No problem,’ Thomas laughed.

‘Okay, I’m not good at the whole sentimental goodbye shit, so I’m just gonna leave it simple,’ Virgil said. ‘So long and goodnight.’

‘Take it easy, guys,’ Thomas replied before turning and leaving, waving to them as he did so.

‘Right. Now, it’s time to get out of here!’ Roman ran into Virgil’s room, the other three following behind. He looked around the room until he saw the vent. ‘Aha!’ He threw a fireball, which destroyed the cover on it.

‘It’s too high up for us to reach,’ Virgil pointed out.

‘No, it’s not,’ Logan replied.

The next thing Patton knew, he was lifted off his feet, floating in the air. He started laughing. ‘Haha! This is fun! Whoo!’

Logan raised the other boy up to the exposed vent shaft. Patton crawled into it, giving a thumbs up once he was safely inside.

‘I’ll go next!’ Roman yelled. So, Logan lifted him up to the vent, then Virgil and, finally, himself. ‘Patton, let me go ahead. That way, I’ll be able to light the way.’

After Roman and Patton awkwardly shuffled past each other and changed positions, Roman lit a fire in his hand. The four boys began to crawl through the tight space. Roman whacked his head multiple times and each time he swore, he gained a scolding from Patton.

Soon, they came to the end of the vent. Roman blasted the cover off before hopping down, the other three following suit.

‘Okay, now we’ve got to find this guy’s office,’ Roman said, looking around.

‘Maybe it’s the one door in this entire corridor,’ Virgil replied, pointing to said door.

The four boys went up to it.

‘Please be unlocked...’ Patton begged, trying the handle. The door creaked open. ‘Yeah!’

‘Ssh!’ Logan quietened him.

‘Sorry,’ Patton apologised as they all stepped into the room.

‘It’s so dark in here. I can’t see a thing!’ Roman complained.

‘Hello, darkness, my old friend,’ Virgil grinned.

‘Seriously?’

‘What can I say, this is my natural habitat.’

‘Look, can someone just try and find a light switch,’ Logan’s voice spoke over the other two.

The boy started searching the walls, trying to find a way to illuminate the room until Roman spoke. 'Oh, right, I can just use fire! I'm so silly!' And so, the room was filled with light. Patton ended finding a desk and started searching the draws for teleportation crystals within its many drawers.

Suddenly, they froze at the sound of voices outside.

‘S-Sir, uh, don’t you think you should at least check on the subjects first?!’

‘No, because I know for a fact that you still haven’t replaced the cameras. Do you want a promotion or not, Sanders?’

‘Well, yes, but...’

‘Then get to it!’

There was a creak as the door opened. Light flooded onto the four boys in the office. A group of four silhouettes had stepped just inside the door. Thomas was stood just outside, giving Roman, Virgil, Patton and Logan a look of both fear and pity.

The silhouette stood at the front, who’s only visible feature was his left eye, which was glowing a bright yellow, spoke.

‘Well, well, well. Look at what we have here.’

Logan’s eyes suddenly widened. ‘You!’

‘Sleep, you know what to do.’

One of the other silhouettes stepped forward. Before the four prisoners could do anything, the figure tapped each of them on the shoulder and, as they did so, the four of them collapsed in a deep sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their captors are revealed, and more of Logan's backstory is revealed.

Logan, Patton, Roman and Virgil’s eyes shot open. The four of them found themselves tied to chairs in a large, grey room. Roman attempted to burn off the ropes trapping him, only to find that there were gloves encasing his hands, which were somehow blocking his power’s flow.

_What are these things made from?!_ he wondered.

‘Rise and shine,’ a smooth yet sinister voice cut through the silent air.

The four prisoners looked up at their captors who were stood before them. What shocked them was that all of the people there were no more than a year older than the four of them were.

Thomas was stood near the corner of the room, looking down at his feet, unable to make eye contact with the four prisoners. He felt as if he had betrayed them.

Three other boys were stood nearer the door. The first was leant casually against the wall. He had a leather jacket, white shirt, black skinny jeans and black converse. He wore a pair of Ray-Bans and was scrolling on his phone.

The second was sitting cross-legged on the floor. He had messy, unkempt hair and his eyes were blood red. He wore a plain white shirt and black jeans. He was fiddling with a knife and his shirt was splattered with what was seemingly blood.

The third was leaning against the wall, hands in the pockets of his black trench coat. His hair was slightly messy, and he had dark bags under his eyes. He seemed to be wearing blue pyjamas underneath the coat, though it was hard to tell.

All three of them wore the grey hats that blocked Logan from reading their minds. However, each of them wore them in a different style. The first had a cap, the second had a beanie and the last had a fedora.

The final person in the room was stood directly in front of the four prisoners. He was wearing a black bowler hat and a black and yellow coat, with a black capelet. To finish his look, he had yellow gloves. But what really stood out was his face. The left half of it was like that of a snake. His left eye was a bright yellow, his pupil a black slit.

‘Did you honestly think you’d be able to escape that easily?’ he chuckled. ‘You foolish dummies.’

‘Who are you people?!’ Roman demanded.

‘Yes, I seems that introductions are in order. In the corner over there is Sanders, my newest employee. These three are Sleep, Psycho and Depression. And as for me, well, I’m sure Logan here can tell you who I am.’

Patton, Roman and Virgil turned to Logan, whose face was unreadable. Logan said a single word:

‘Deceit.’

* * * * *

_Logan sat on the curb outside his middle school. How much longer would it be until his parents remembered he existed and came to pick him up? Probably a couple of hours, they were busy celebrating that Robert had won the international chess tournament for under fifteens. It didn’t matter that it had happened a week ago now, and it didn’t matter that Logan had just won a national robotics competition. No, because Robert was perfect, and Logan just wasn’t good enough... no matter how hard he tried to be..._

_‘I always thought sitting alone on a curb in the dead of night was something that losers of competitions usually do, not the winners. Or have movies been lying to me all these years?’_

_Logan turned to the speaker to see a boy, about a year older than he was. He wore a yellow shirt, black jeans and a black hat. Half of his face was like that of a snake._

_‘Are you okay? The competition ended ages ago. Shouldn’t you have headed home?’_

_‘I don’t want to head home yet. I figured that I should just wait here until my parents arrive to take me home. However, I am unsure about when they will remember that I’m here,’ Logan replied._

_‘They didn’t come to see you win?’_

_‘No. I’m not surprised, however. My name is Logan, by the way.’_

_‘You can call me Deceit.’ He took a seat next to Logan. ‘You from around here?’_

_‘Yes, I’ve lived here my whole life.’_

_‘I just moved here. Thought I’d wander around, try to make some friends. Unfortunately, everyone I’ve tried to introduce myself to just ran away the second they saw my face. So, thank you for not doing that.’_

_‘You’re welcome.’_

_The two boys sat there, under the stars. They exchanged conversation about various topics, finding they got along rather well. That was until, finally, Logan’s parent’s car pulled up. He bid farewell to Deceit, before hopping into the backseat._

* * * * *

_Logan wasn’t surprised as his textbooks were knocked from his hands, his notes scattered across the floor. This happened every day. He’d even added it to his timetable: Bullies Attack, 2:35._

_‘Aww, Little Logan’s dropped his stuff!’ Henry, the resident bully of the school, mocked._

_‘Calling me little is the best insult you could come up with?’ Logan asked. ‘Apparently, you’re as bad at teasing people as you are in every single one of your lessons.’_

_‘What did you just say to me, you little shit?!’ Henry growled._

_Logan began to regret his words immediately. He started to back away, but Henry grabbed his tie to stop him running. He then grabbed him by the collar and lifted him from the floor._

_‘You’ll pay for that, you mother- ‘_

_‘I’d put him down if I were you,’ a familiar voice spoke._

_Deceit stood there, smirking cockily at Henry._

_‘What makes you think I’d listen to you, freak?’ Henry growled._

_‘Because everyone does,’ Deceit replied, shortening the distance between him and the bully. He looked directly into Henry’s eyes and spoke in a confident, quiet voice. ‘You will put Logan down and then leave and never bother him again. Oh, and you’ll give yourself a swirly while you’re at it.’_

_A dazed expression appeared on Henry’s face. He dropped Logan to the ground before turning and leaving the corridor. Deceit turned to Logan and offered his hand. Logan took it and was pulled to his feet._

_‘Thank you,’ he said._

_‘It was nothing. We are friends, after all,’ Deceit replied. ‘Now, we should probably gather up all your stuff.’_

_‘I... I can do this myself.’ Logan raised a hand and his books and notes were all lifted into the air. He concentrated, and they arranged themselves in a neat stack, which he then took in his hands._

_‘Interesting...’ Deceit mumbled to himself._

_‘No one else knows I can do this. Not even my family. I felt comfortable showing you. I just have the feeling you won’t judge me,’ Logan explained._

_‘I won’t. It’s actually very intriguing to me,’ Deceit replied. ‘However, do something for me. Tell no one about these powers of yours. Keep it between us, okay?' 'Um... okay,' Logan promised, slightly confused. 'Good. Anyway, I had better be getting home. I’ll see you tomorrow, Logan.’_

_‘Goodbye, Deceit.’_

_And with that, Deceit turned and walked away. Logan watched him go. What was with this weird feeling he had?_

_He pushed it aside. It was probably nothing important. And, anyway, ‘feelings’ were not something he was good with. He turned and headed back down the corridor._

* * * * *

_Logan practically ran between the shelves in the library. Where was he?! He had to be around here somewhere! He said he would be..._

_There he was! Sat at a table in the corner at the back._

_‘Deceit! I need help, I did something horrible!’ he gasped between breaths._

_‘Logan, explain to me what happened,’ Deceit demanded._

_‘I... My brother, I got mad at him, and I... I lost control. My telekinesis got out of hand. I threw knives at him. I probably killed him!’_

_‘Logan, calm down, okay. Look, I’m guessing that you’re not going to want to head home. How about you stay at my place for a bit? And, if you want, I can go see whether your brother survived. That sound good?’ Deceit offered._

_‘Thank you. That seems like a satisfactory idea for a temporary solution,’ Logan nodded._

_‘Who says it has to be temporary?’_

_‘I’m sorry, what?’_

_‘Come with me.’_

_Deceit led Logan from the library. The two of them walked through the town and into the park. Deceit led Logan to the top of a hill, where a telescope was set up. Above them was an amazing view of the stars in the sky, constellations shining above them._

_‘Surprise,’ Deceit smiled._

_‘You... did this for me?’ Logan asked._

_‘Of course. You see, Logan...’_

_Before Logan react, Deceit stepped forward, close to Logan, holding the other boy’s waist._

_‘When I’m with you, I feel something I’ve never felt with anyone else before. Do you feel it?’_

_Logan, face flushed bright red, nodded._

_‘You know what that feeling is, right? It’s the only thing it could be,’ Deceit lifted one hand and cupped Logan’s cheek. ‘Lo, I love... how incredibly idiotic and oblivious you are.’_

_‘What?’_

_Logan felt a sharp pain in his neck. His vision went blurry and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious._

_* * * * *_

As Logan finished explaining how he knew their kidnapper, the other three prisoners stared at him with different expressions. Virgil’s was just flat out shock; Patton’s eyes were filled with tears and Roman looked ready to cut a bitch. Logan himself had remained stone-faced throughout the entire story.

‘You know, it’s a shame, Logan. I really liked you. But what had to happen had to happen,’ Deceit shrugged.

‘How can you be so mean?!’ Patton asked. ‘You kidnapped us just fine, why did you form an emotional connection with Logan to kidnap him? Why did you have to cause him emotional pain?’

Deceit just laughed. ‘Emotional pain? Please, he can’t feel emotions. He’s apathetic. A robot. Look at him now! He just told a heart-breaking story of how he was betrayed by his only friend and he’s completely unfazed.’

It was true, Logan’s face was still completely expressionless.

‘And as for why I formed, how did you put it? An “emotional connection”? Well, the thing is about you three, is that you are all idiots. So easy to manipulate and deceive with the right lies. Logan, however, actually has some brains. The only way I knew I’d fool him would to gain his trust. I only intended to act as a friend at first, but it was just so fun to see how far I could go.’

‘You’re sick...’ Virgil glared at the snake faced boy.

‘Oh no, that comment hurt me so much,’ Deceit replied sarcastically. ‘Now, enjoy spending your time tied up in here whilst your cells are made more escape proof.’

He turned and went to leave the room. However, Roman called out.

‘Hold on just a second, Jack the Fibber! I have a few questions.’

Deceit sighed. ‘So very talkative, aren’t we? Haven’t I told you enough?’

‘No, you have not! We still do not know why we are here.’

‘Fine. I’ll let you have three questions. But that is all. So, use them wisely,’ Deceit replied.

‘Okay. First, why are we here?’ Roman asked.

‘You are here because I need an army. Us Gifted are the superior race here on earth. But how are we treated? As freaks and mistakes, and we are forced to hide our abilities. We should not be treated like this. My goal is simple: take the position we are meant to have. I will be the god of the new world! The world where we can live freely, and Normals can either conform and be slaves, like Sanders here, or rebel and die.  However, I need an army to help me take over. These three definitely aren’t enough, so I needed to gather more. So, here you are, my first subjects. You can agree to join my cause anytime you want. But you should know, I always get what I want. If you don’t choose to join me, you will be forced to.’

‘You sound like what would happen if Light from Death Note and Magneto from X-Men had a child,’ Virgil mumbled.

‘Two questions left.’ Deceit ignored the emo’s comment.

‘What’s with the nicknames?’ Virgil asked. ‘You can’t expect us to believe your mothers actually chose to call you Deceit, Sleep, Psycho and Depression.’

‘Of course they aren’t our actual names,’ the one called Sleep spoke up, looking at Virgil from over his sunglasses. ‘They’re codenames. It’s pretty obvious.’

‘They’re based around our personalities and powers,’ The one known as Depression mumbled.

‘We’ve even got names for you guys prepared for when you join us,’ Psycho giggled, flipping his knife in his hand.

‘What are they?’ Patton asked.

‘Logic, Morality, Princy and Anxiety,’ Deceit answered, pointing to Logan, Patton, Roman and Virgil respectively. ‘Now, you are out of questions. We- ‘

‘Out of questions? We still have one left!’ Roman argued.

‘No. Patton just used your final one,’ Deceit told them.

‘Oh... sorry, guys! I didn’t mean to!’ Patton apologised.

‘It’s okay, Patton,’ Virgil replied.

‘We will be back later to have some one on one chats with each of you,’ Deceit explained. ‘For now, there is other business I must attend to. Psycho, you stand guard outside this room.’

‘Got it, boss,’ Psycho leapt to his feet. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

‘Teleportation?’ Roman guessed.

‘Super speed,’ Deceit corrected. He then left with the other two goons and Thomas, leaving the four prisoners alone.

There was an awkward silence that hung in the air for a few seconds, until Patton finally broke it.

‘Logan... are you okay? You’re being really quiet... I’m really sorry about Deceit- ’

‘It’s fine. I’m fine,’ Logan insisted. ‘We just need to find a way out of here.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've read so many Sanders Sides fanfictions in which Deceit manipulates, uses and takes advantage of Virgil. I wanted this to be a bit different, so I decided to put Logan, my favourite character, through the emotional pain of being used by someone they thought loved them... Though it's nothing compared to what I have planned!  
> Someone needs to stop me and my brain from literally torturing these characters I love.  
> On a more positive note, Happy FALSEHOOD Day! It is the anniversary of, in my opinion, one of the greatest Sanders Sides quotes ever.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas starts to prepare for Plan B.

Thomas finished fixing the final security camera to the walls. He turned to Sleep, or as Thomas knew him, Remy, who was reattaching the vent covers using superglue.

‘Aren’t you supposed to be welding those on?’ Thomas asked.

‘Eh, this’ll be good enough,’ Remy shrugged. ‘And if the boss finds out, I’ll just say Psycho did it. Hey, I’m heading to Starbucks. You want anything?’

‘...Sure. Just a hot chocolate.’

‘Kay. See ya in a bit.’ Remy turned and left the room.

Thomas checked one last time that the camera was fixed safely on before leaving the room. He ran down different corridors, until he reached the one he needed. He peered around the corner, where he saw Psycho stood outside the door to the room where he knew Logan, Patton, Roman and Virgil were all trapped.

‘Okay, Thomas, you can do this. Just go up to the psychopath who will not hesitate to cut you and tell him a huge lie... Oh god, I’m gonna die.’

He sighed before heading around the corner.

‘Hey, Psycho.’

‘Heya, Thomas. What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be fixing the cameras? You know if you don’t, the boss may just let me give into my bloodlust,’ Psycho giggled.

‘I’ve already done it,’ Thomas quickly told him. ‘But there’s a bit of a problem. Well, Remy didn’t weld the vent covers back on, he just used superglue. He said if the boss finds out, he’s just gonna say you did it.’

‘WHAT?! That little shit’s gonna pay!’ Psycho turned and ran down the corridor, hardly visible thanks to his super speed, and disappeared from view.

Thomas let out a sigh of relief before pushing open the door in front of him.

‘Roman, if going through the vents didn’t work the first time, it’s not gonna work again!’

‘Well, what’s your idea, My Chemically Imbalanced Romance?! I’m sure it can’t be any better!’

‘Guys, please don’t fight!’

‘This doesn’t involve us, Patton. Just leave it. They’ll burn themselves out eventually.’

‘That’s what you think! I am an eternal flame, baby!’

‘Wait, was that a Steven Universe reference?’ Thomas asked, drawing attention to himself.

‘Thomas!’ Patton grinned.

‘Thank Disney you’re here!’ Roman smiled. ‘Please tell us you have a backup plan.’

‘I think I might. The thing is, Remy – he’s Sleep by the way – has the ability to make people fall into a deep sleep simply by touching them,’ Thomas began. ‘If I can somehow get him to put Deceit, Psycho and Depression to sleep, it will give us time to get those teleportation crystals.’

‘Wait... if this Remy guy puts the others to sleep, he’ll still be awake. Won’t he stop us?’ Virgil questioned.

‘Not necessarily. Remy told me the only reason he’s in this is for the money. If I offer to pay him more than Deceit is, I’m sure he’ll come over to our side,’ Thomas replied. ‘And Deceit does not pay a lot, so getting the money will be no problem.’

‘But what do we do until then?’ Roman asked.

‘You just have to hang on. Sorry, but I don’t really know what you can do without raising suspicion,’ Thomas shrugged. ‘Just make sure you don’t let Deceit into your head. His mind manipulation is really powerful, it’s hard to break free from once he has you in his control. I gotta go. Bye, guys.’

Thomas turned and left the room, pulling the door closed behind him. He looked left and right, making sure that no one was around before turning and walking down the corridor.

About fifteen minutes later, as he was hanging out in the common room, re-watching The Office bloopers for the fifteen and half time, the door opened, and Remy stepped in.

‘You’ll never believe this! They spelt my name wrong again! I’ve been going there for so long, you think they’d know how to spell it by now. It’s not that hard,’ he ranted, flopping onto the sofa next to Thomas. ‘Here’s your hot chocolate.’

‘Thanks,’ Thomas took the drink. ‘Oh, I should probably say, Psycho’s mad at you. I think he wants to kill you.’

‘Seriously?! Shit... Why?’

‘He didn’t tell me. But... I might be able to help you. But only if you do something for me in return,’ Thomas explained.

‘Well, that depends. What do you want me to do?’ Remy asked.

‘Before I say, l want you to know, if you do this for me, not only will I stop Psycho from killing you, but I will pay you double what the boss is paying you.’

Remy pulled his sunglasses down a bit and looked over them at Thomas. ‘I’m listening.’

‘I need you to put the boss, Psycho and Depression to sleep for a very long time.’

‘Hold on... you’re helping the subjects to escape, aren’t you?!’

‘Ssh! Yes, I am, and I need your help. I know you’re not a bad person, you’re only doing this for the money. So, please, help me out here.’

‘Hmm... I dunno,’ Remy shrugged. ‘The boss did say that in his “new world”, I can be the head of training people to control and harness their powers. That sounds pretty cool.’

‘Please! I’ll do anything. Triple! I’ll pay you triple what the boss is.’

‘...Deal. I would shake your hand, but... y’know.’

Thomas sighed with relief. ‘Thank you. So... you wanna carry on watching The Office bloopers with me?’

‘Don’t you have a psycho to convince not to murder me?’ Remy reminded.

‘Oh, right. I’ll be back in a minute.’ Thomas got up and left the room.

Meanwhile, Deceit opened the door to the room where the four prisoners were still tied up, leading Depression with him inside.

‘Now... which one of you four want to come for your one on one chat first?'


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deceit has 'one-on-one chats' with Patton and Roman.

Both Patton and Roman volunteered to go first. Patton didn’t want Logan to go first, fearing that Logan being alone with Deceit would be too much for him. Roman, on the other hand, didn’t want Virgil going first and having a panic attack. Not that he’d let Virgil know that or anything...

In the end, Patton found himself being led down the corridor and into a different, smaller room. Deceit shoved Patton to the ground before turning to Depression.

‘You know what to do,’ he smirked sinisterly.

Depression stepped forward and raised both his hands out in front of him. Suddenly, a dark blue mist shot out from his palms. As the mist started to move towards Patton, the prisoner started to push himself back away. However, he bumped into the wall, trapped.

‘D-Deceit! You don’t have to do this!’ he called out, in a last attempt to save himself. ‘I know you can be good if you just try! Please!’

The mist made its way forward and surrounded him.

_Look at you... So naive, so trusting... Why do you have so much faith in people? People are horrible, disgusting creatures._

‘Wh-what...?’ Patton looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. He soon realised it was inside his own head.

_You say there’s good in everyone, but that’s just not true. Everyone has a dark side. Sure, not everyone acts on it, but it’s still there. People have natural desire to be evil, to break the rules, to act against morals. Even you do. You’re lying to yourself if you tell yourself that people are good. It’s worthless to think so. You’re worthless._

Patton closed his eyes, which had tears welling in them. ‘S-someone... save me! L-Logan... help me... please...’

_Oh, what’s this? Calling out to Logan specifically? Aww, that’s adorable... You like him, don’t you? You know he’ll never be able to return your feelings, right? It’s as Deceit said earlier: he’s apathetic. He can’t feel love. What he felt for Deceit wasn’t even love, it was just a delusion. Just give up, you’ll never be with him. And even if he could feel, how could he ever love someone like you? He’s smart, sophisticated. And you? You’re a bumbling, careless idiot. Logan would probably choose Deceit over you._

‘But it doesn’t have to be that way,’ Deceit’s voice suddenly cut across the voice in Patton’s head. The mist cleared, and Patton looked up through teary eyes at the snake-faced boy making his way towards him. ‘Patton, if you join me, you will not be worthless. You will have a very important job; specifically, you’ll work at the orphanage where other children whose parents are Normals or deceased get to stay. And that’s not all. One of my abilities is mind manipulation so, if you join me, I’ll put Logan into the delusion that he loves you. Then, you two will be able to live a happy life together, no different to how it’d be if he actually loved you. So, what do you say?’ Deceit held out his hand to Patton.

Patton paused, staring at the gloved hand before him. Then, he shook his head, pushing himself back again.

‘No. Never! It’s not right, none of it! Especially manipulating Logan like that,’ he replied.

‘Hm. I see.’ Deceit reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He typed a text, sent it and in no time at all, the door of the room burst open, Psycho running in.

‘Sorry I took so long. Thomas was talking to me. What do you need, boss?’

Deceit nodded at Patton. A grin appeared on Psycho’s face.

The next thing Patton knew, Psycho was right in front of him, and there was a strong pain in his gut.

Psycho pulled the knife from Patton’s stomach and prepared to stab again.

‘That’s enough,’ Deceit stopped him. As Psycho stepped back, a look of disappointment on his face, Patton put his hand on his wound. The healing process of it began to speed up substantially, but the pain was still excruciating. Deceit continued speaking. ‘Each time you refuse to join me, you’ll be stabbed. I wonder how long it will take for the pain to drive you insane. But, anyway, before you go, I have a question.’ He turned and reached into a bag that was sat on a chair in the corner of the room. He pulled out the plush dog Thomas had gifted him. ‘Where did you get this?’

‘I...’ Patton found it hard to think clearly, knowing blood was spewing from his still healing wound. How was he supposed to think of a convincing lie?! But there was no way he could rat out Thomas. ‘I just found it, it was on my bookcase. Why’d you ask?’

‘I never gave you this...’ Deceit narrowed his eyes at Patton.

‘It’s nothing, boss. I gave it to him,’ Remy stepped into the room through the doorway. Patton’s eyes lit up. He was covering for them! Did that mean Thomas had convinced him to help them out?

‘I see.’ Deceit turned to Psycho. ‘Take him back. Bring whoever volunteers next.’

Psycho nodded, grabbing Patton by the collar before speeding from the room, dragging a screaming Patton along with him.

* * * * *

‘GREAT ODIN’S EYEPATCH, DO YOU WANT ME TO BREAK MY NECK!’ Roman screamed as Psycho dragged him through the corridors at the speed of sound. Or at least it felt like it was the speed of sound. Suddenly, Psycho came to an abrupt stop, causing Roman to face plant to the ground.

‘Not the dramatic, flamboyant entrance I expected from you, Roman.’

Roman pushed himself off of the ground, glaring at Deceit. ‘Let’s just get this over with.’

‘Straight to the point, I see,’ Deceit raised an eyebrow. He turned to Depression. ‘Go ahead.’

Depression raised his hands before him and the same blue mist came from his palms and made its way towards Roman. The prisoner was torn between backing away or feeding into his curiosity and letting the mist consume him. Before he could decide, it surrounded him.

_Weak. You’re weak._

‘What the...? Who are you?! Where are you?!’ Roman growled, looking around.

_You live with the constant fear of being judged. You’re insecure, and that’s a weakness. A vulnerability that can be exploited so easily. Your desire to be popular and liked is dragging you down. You wish so badly to ‘find your prince’ but can’t bring yourself to try because you’re afraid your sexuality will be exposed. You are WEAK._

Roman placed his hands over his ears. ‘Stop it...’

_See? You’re letting this get to you. Props to you, though, for using your acting skills to put on a confident façade most of the time. Too bad that makes you seem arrogant, cocky. You just can’t win. No matter what, people will hate you. The only reason the other three here are ‘friends’ with you is probably so they can use your powers to get out. If you leave, the minute this is all over, they’ll ditch you. You’ll be alone_

‘You don’t have to be alone, however.’

The mist disappeared and Roman looked up at Deceit as he walked towards him.

‘If you agree to join my cause, you’ll have hundreds of people who look up to you, who love you,’ the snake faced boy explained. ‘You like those Disney princes, right? In my new world, I will be god, but I can’t run everything myself. So, I’ll need others to help. You, Roman, will be the prince of the world. Everyone will bow down to you. No one will judge you anymore. You’ll be free to live however you desire. What do you say, Prince Roman?’ Deceit held out a hand.

Roman had been tempted. The idea of the world Deceit had proposed did sound amazing. But then he called him ‘Prince Roman’. The same nickname Drake had used to taunt him at school. It reminded of him of how much of a dick Deceit was. He was a villain. But Roman, he was not going to give in and be the hyenas to Deceit’s Scar, or the LeFou to Deceit’s Gaston.

No. He would be the hero to save the damsel in distress. Only replace ‘damsel’ with his new friends.

‘What in Asgard would make you think I’d agree to that, Jekyll and Lied?’ he growled, defiance in his voice and determination in his eyes.

‘I thought that might be your response. So stubborn...’ Deceit sighed. ‘Psycho, go for the shoulder this time. We don’t want to lose our subject, do we?’

As he had with Patton, Psycho leapt to his feet and sped up to Roman, plunging his knife into his flesh. Roman let out a cry of pain as the cold metal was thrust into his shoulder and then tugged out. He clutched the wound as rivers of crimson began seeping through his fingers.

‘It’s as I said to Patton: every time you defy me, Psycho will get one stab. I wonder what will happen first: you agree to join me, or you bleed out until you die,’ Deceit explained. ‘Now, before you go back, I have a question. I ended up finding a few of my telepathic-signal blocking hats in your cells. Any chance of you explaining where those came from?’

_Shit._

‘Uh...’

‘Me again!’ Remy raised a hand. ‘Sorry for all this confusion. I just heard Virgil saying it was annoying for Logan to be hearing their thoughts twenty four seven. I thought, y’know, they’re our prisoners, we may as well treat them with the littlest bit of hospitality. It’s only fair if we’re going to be stabbing one of them every ten minutes.’

Deceit sighed in frustration. ‘Fine. Psycho, take him back.’

‘On it!’ Psycho grabbed Roman in a headlock before speeding off.

‘FUCK YOOOOOooooooouuuuu...’ Roman’s voice trailed off as he was dragged down the corridors.

Deceit rolled his eyes. ‘These asshats are going to be the death of me.’


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deceit has 'one on one chats' with Virgil and Logan.

When Patton had been brought back with a steadily healing stab wound in his stomach, it took Virgil all his efforts to control his breathing. Then Roman came back with blood pouring from his shoulder, and Virgil had to try even harder. However, it didn’t stop him from volunteering to go next, ignoring the screaming in his mind.

Psycho untied him from the chair and dragged Virgil down the corridors, only going faster when he heard Virgil’s screams. Soon, they arrived at the room where Deceit and the other two goons were waiting.

‘I expected you to be the last to arrive, Virgil,’ Deceit commented as Virgil was shoved through the doorway. ‘This is a surprise.’

‘Let’s just get this over with,’ Virgil growled.

‘That’s exactly what Roman said. You two are more alike than I thought,’ Deceit replied. ‘Anyway, Depression, go ahead.’

As the side in the trench coat created the same blue mist as the previous times, Virgil was filled with panic. As it started coming towards him, he surrounded himself in a forcefield, which the mist was unable to penetrate.

‘Let down the forcefield, Virgil,’ Deceit’s voice ordered, though it was slightly unclear and muffled by the purple translucent wall around Virgil. To him, it sounded like Deceit said, ‘Let’s pound the fuckboys, Virgil.’ which caused the emo to erupt into laughter.

Deceit narrowed his eyes before lifting his hand and clenching his fist. Suddenly, Virgil found that he had lost control of left hand as it clamped itself over his mouth. Virgil’s eyes widened, staring in fear at the snake. He had three powers?!

Unfortunately, the sudden shock caused Virgil to lose his concentration, and the forcefield disappeared. He was surrounded by the mist as he finally regained control of his hand.

_Do you honestly think they like you?_

Virgil swallowed. That voice in his head... He’d heard that so many times before. When he was hiding from bullies, and when he was cooped up in his room while his father beat his mother, and when his mother left and his father needed a new punching bag and so chose him as a replacement. It was his own anxiety coming back to bite him. He felt his throat grow tighter and heart rate increase.

_How could those five want to be friends with someone like you? You’re not logical and smart like Logan. You have so many fears that are completely irrational and illogical. You’re not kind and open like Patton. You close yourself off and build walls, and if anyone tries to invade, you act like a complete jerk. You’re not outgoing, eccentric, risk-taking and extroverted like Roman. You’ve never taken a risk in your life, always too scared to try anything new, scared to talk to others and stand in the spotlight. You’re scared of life, but you’re also scared of death, so you’re stuck in a constant loop of fear. Fear that you can’t escape. It’s hopeless. Don’t even try._

He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t see clearly. He collapsed to his knees, shaking.

_You were too scared to step in when your mother was being abused. Your anxiety just gets in the way of everything, holds you back, prevents you from doing good. It makes you useless, worthless. A hindrance to others. Think back to your time in the cells and when you tried to escape: Logan figured out the plan from Thomas’ riddle and allowed you to reach the vents, Roman allowed you to see in the dark in Deceit’s office and while going through the vents, and Patton helped keep everyone’s hopes up, stopped everyone from getting into arguments and healed Logan when he got injured. And what did you do? Have a panic attack which stressed everyone out, forced Logan out of your mind before he could see that Deceit was the one who captured you and sulked because, ‘Boohoo! I have an abusive dad and my mom left and forgot about me and I was bullied at school and I have anxiety!’ How is that useful? Why would any of the other three want to be friends with you?_

‘Take a deep breath, Virgil,’ Deceit’s voice cut through the now clearing mist. ‘In for five seconds, hold for two, let out for five.’

As Virgil regained control of his breathing and his pulse returned to normal, Deceit held out his hand to him. Virgil looked from the gloved hand to Deceit’s face before getting to his feet on his own, refusing the snake’s help.

‘You know, I can help you if you join me. Those problems you’re facing can go away,’ Deceit explained. ‘You’re father will be executed, of course, so he won’t be able to hurt you. As for your anxiety, you’d be able to get all the help you need from professionals, no fee. Then, you’ll be able to make friends, stand up for yourself and take down the walls you’ve built around yourself. Those three will want to actually be friends with you, I’m sure. Doesn’t that sound perfect?’

‘...Hey, Deceit, I have something for you here,’ Virgil replied. He reached into his pocket. ‘It’s around here somewhere... Aha!’ He pulled his hand out and flipped Deceit off.

Deceit sighed. ‘Go for the legs.’

Virgil didn’t even have time to raise an eyebrow in confusion before a blur flew past him and excruciating pain flared in his legs, causing him to collapse to the floor. Psycho giggled to himself as Virgil held the two stab wounds, desperately tried to keep his blood in his legs. You know, where it’s supposed to be.

‘Defiance equals one stab,’ Deceit explained.

‘He stabbed me twice!’ Virgil growled, gesturing to each stab wound.

Deceit just shrugged. ‘Perhaps you can tell me where you got this.’ He reached into the bag on the chair and pulled out Virgil’s iPod.

Virgil’s heart started thumping hard and he wasn’t sure whether it was from fear or his heart trying to get oxygen to his leg.

‘Yeah, that was me again,’ Remy shrugged from where he was scrolling through Instagram on his phone. ‘I figured having some music would stop them going insane from isolation.’

‘Look, Sleep, I appreciate that you’re just trying to help, but please tell me when you do these sorts of things,’ Deceit ordered. ‘It will save a lot of time.’

‘Sorry, Deccy,’ Remy replied.

‘Deceit. Now, Psycho, take Virgil back and bring Logan.’

‘Got it!’ Psycho grabbed Virgil by the wrist and started to drag him from the room, the emo leaving a trail of blood behind him.

‘Oh, and Virgil...’ Deceit turned around as Psycho stopped, allowing Virgil to look at Deceit. The snake proceeded to lift both his middle fingers up at the bleeding boy.

‘Double birds? Seriously?’ Virgil raised an eyebrow.

Deceit just waved his hand and Psycho sprinted away, pulling Virgil along with him.

* * * * *

When Patton had returned with a stab wound in his gut, Logan had been filled with rage. How? How could he _ever_ have trusted someone who would do something like that?! The fury had just gotten worse when Roman and Virgil returned with their own wounds. However, he refused to let it show. He kept his stoic expression. He could not show weakness to Deceit.

When he was dragged to the room where the Deceit and the others were waiting, he remained expressionless.

‘Ah, Lo. I was hoping you’d be the first to come. We have a lot of catching up to do. Not to mention, our date was cut short. How about we finish it?’ Deceit stepped towards Logan, who took a step back in response. Deceit sighed. ‘Fine. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this to you, but you’ve left me no choice. Depression.’

The guy in the trench coat raised his hands for the forth and final time, the blue mist surrounding Logan.

_Rage? You think you were_ actually _angry when you saw the other were hurt? Ahaha... I thought you were supposed to be smart._

Logan closed his eyes, trying to use his mental ability to force the voice from his mind. However, he failed miserably.

_You cannot feel rage. Or happiness. Or sadness. Or love. You cannot feel. You’re apathetic and you know it. How else would you be able to remain so expressionless for so long? No matter how much you tell yourself otherwise, you cannot feel emotion. And before you say you loved Deceit, that was just a delusion. What you felt for him wasn’t real, you just convinced yourself it was because you knew that’s how normal humans are supposed to function. But you’re not a normal human. You’re wrong. You’re broken._

Logan had hung his head and clenched his fists, willing the voice to leave, using all his mental power.

_Hold on a second... what’s this? Oh... oh, this is just too good! And you don’t even know it yet. You “feel” that way for him?! Oh, please! You cannot feel that way about anyone! Not him, not Deceit, NO ONE. You’ll live your life alone forever. You should just end it, to be honest. If you can’t get the reward of happiness and pride for the work you put into life, what’s the point of it all? Do yourself a favour and just give up. I mean, it’s not like your family would miss you or anything. They probably haven’t even noticed you were kidnapped. If you died, your parents wouldn’t give a damn. They have never cared about you._

‘But I do, Lo,’ Deceit reassured as the mist cleared. Logan had somehow managed to keep his composure throughout the mental torture. ‘I care about you. I wasn’t lying about how I feel about you. I genuinely grew to love you. And, if you join my cause, I can help you. I can teach you how to feel. I can help you love me back. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?’ Deceit stepped forward and took Logan’s hand in his. ‘Please join me. I love you.’

As Logan looked into Deceit’s eyes, he felt his mind go foggy and cloud over. He couldn’t think straight. He felt his mouth subconsciously open to say ‘yes’ when he suddenly remembered what Thomas had said to the four of them before:

_‘Just make sure you don’t let Deceit into your head. His mind manipulation is really powerful, it’s hard to break free from once he has you in his control.’_

Logan closed his mouth and took a deep breath. He looked Deceit straight in the eye, a cold, hard look on his face.

‘What people call “love” is just a chemical reaction that compels animals to copulate. It hits you hard and then slowly fades. You used this tactic once before as a way to take advantage of my vulnerabilities. It will not work again. I know I’m smarter than everyone else, after all.’

Deceit paused. He took a step back. ‘Please understand that this will hurt me as much as it hurts you.’ He snapped his fingers and, once again, Psycho lunged forward, pulling out not just one, but two knives this time. He plunged one into each of Logan’s shoulders.

Logan’s reflexes kicked in, however, and one of the knives flew out from his shoulder and plunged itself into Psycho’s left arm.

‘Argh! You little- !’

‘Psycho.’ Deceit cut across. ‘Take him back to the others. Then, we can discuss the next step to take.’

Psycho grumbled in annoyance before pulling the other knife from Logan’s shoulder and dragging him from the room at the speed of sound.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The strong emotions brought up by Depression's torture cause tension to build between the four prisoners.

Patton was so relieved that Psycho had not bothered to tie the four of them up. If he hadn’t been able to heal his friends, it was likely they would have bled out until they...

He didn’t want to think about it.

When Logan was brought back, Patton held the bloody holes in the telepath’s shoulders, causing them to begin to close. The four of them were silent for a while. Roman was leaning against the wall, fiddling with the tear in his shirt. Virgil was sat in the corner, finally calming down after his interrogation. Logan was debating whether to let down his expressionless exterior now that they were alone.

‘What did it tell you?’ Roman finally spoke up.

‘What did what tell us?’ Virgil asked.

‘The weird mist that Depression used on us to try and make us feel powerless. Well, I’m assuming he used it on you as well,’ Roman explained.

‘Yes, he used it on us all,’ Logan replied. ‘However, I would prefer to not talk about it.’

‘I think we should,’ Patton spoke up. ‘It’ll do us good. I know it made me feel some pretty heavy emotions. It’s better to let it out than bottle up.’

_But I’ve spent my entire life bottling up. I don’t even think I know how to express emotion... Maybe Depression’s right, maybe I am apathetic._

‘Logan? Hello?’

Logan snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his name. ‘Yes?’

‘Are you okay?’ Patton asked. ‘You seem...distant.’

‘I apologise. I was lost in thought,’ Logan responded, adjusting his glasses.

‘Well, changing the subject, I’m pretty sure Thomas got Remy onto our side. Is that great news or what?!’ Roman grinned.

‘I noticed it too!’ Patton smiled. ‘It won’t be long until we’re free, I’m sure of it!’

‘But what if Remy isn’t actually on our side?’ Virgil asked. ‘What if he’s just pretending so as to learn our plans and stop us escaping? What if rats us out to Deceit? What if- ‘

He stopped as he noticed Roman rolling his eyes. Here Virgil was, being a nuisance, a hindrance. Getting all anxious and making everyone doubt the one plan they had all their hopes hinging on. Was Depression right when the mist said Virgil was only holding them back?

‘Virgil, there is a difference between anxiety and vigilance,’ Logan suddenly spoke up. ‘The fears you have about our escape are not outrageous. In fact, you bringing them up will allow us to plan in advance in case they turn out to be true.’

‘Really?’ Virgil asked. ‘I mean...’ His eyes flickered to Roman. ‘It seems my input is unwanted.’

‘Roman...’ Patton turned to the boy still leaning against the wall.

‘What?’ Roman asked.

‘Don’t make Virgil feel bad about himself! His input is just as valuable as anyone else’s,’ Patton lectured, hands on hips.

‘I know. It’s just with such a pessimistic attitude, it’s not like we’d get anywhere!’ Roman argued.

‘I’m sorry if my mental illness is an inconvenience for you,’ Virgil growled from where he was sat. ‘I’ll just tone it down a bit, shall I? Oh wait, I can’t because it’s not that fucking simple!’

‘Oh, I see, bringing your anxiety into this, of course,’ Roman rolled his eyes. ‘“Oh, boohoo! I have an abusive dad and my mom left and forgot about me and I was bullied at school and I have anxiety!” Using the pity card isn’t gonna work on me! I can see right through it, Robert Downer Junior!’

‘G-guys! Please stop- ’

‘Nicknames? Seriously? Way to be childish. Almost as childish as making fun of someone for the physical and emotional abuse they were given by their own father!’ Virgil cut across Patton, getting to his feet and glaring at Roman. ‘Real mature! You know, I’m sort of beginning to see why that Drake guy bullied you. You’re an arrogant, cocky, self-absorbed asshole!’

Roman’s face was etched in a scowl as he straightened up.

‘Roman, I do not recommend what you are thinking of doing,’ Logan spoke up.

‘Oh, shut up, you emotionless robot!’ Roman growled. Logan’s facade broke for a split second, revealing the hurt he was feeling inside. He quickly replaced it with his usual passive expression.

The change in expression didn’t go unnoticed by Patton, who immediately got to his feet and ran between Roman and Virgil. Roman had armed himself with fireballs in his hands.

‘Please, stop this! This isn’t you, Roman!’ Patton pleaded, tears welling in his eyes.

‘Move aside!’ Roman demanded, the flames growing as his rage did.

‘Please! This is because of Deceit and Depression! The mist, whatever it said, it’s getting in your head!’ Patton continued, ignoring Roman’s yell.

‘I said...’

Roman’s eyes suddenly turned and orangey-red colour. The flames started to spread up his arms as his entire body was engulfed by fire.

‘MOVE!’

Roman held a hand out in front of him and a jet of fire shot out from his palm. Patton’s eyes widened as the inferno closed in towards him. He closed his eyes, tears streaming, knowing he wouldn’t be able to move in time.

Just as the flames were about to hit him, an invisible force suddenly pulled him from the line of fire. Logan let out a sigh of relief as he let Patton down gently. However, the blaze was now heading directly for Virgil, who managed to raise of forcefield just in time to protect himself from a fiery death. When Roman stopped using his flamethrower power, Virgil let down the forcefield and turned to Logan, a glare on his face.

‘Oh, I see. You move Patton out of the way but leave me to be burnt alive,’ he sneered at the telepath.

‘Virgil, that is not what I- ’

Before Logan could finish his sentence, Virgil disappeared from view. Logan raised his hands, preparing to protect himself, before the force of Virgil’s invisible fist slammed into the side of his head, sending him sprawling.

‘Virgil!’ Patton yelled out, about to run forward. However, he was suddenly dragged back against the wall and held there.

‘I’m sorry, Patton,’ Logan apologised, getting back to his feet. ‘I won’t let you get involved.’

Patton’s face fell as he watched the havoc ensue. Flames flew, punches were thrown, and people were slammed into walls.

‘No...’ Patton mumbled to himself. ‘No, no, no, no, nononono! Guys! Stop, please!’

The others didn’t listen. Logan seemed to have the upper hand in the fight currently. He had Virgil trapped against the wall, a chair pressing against him, holding him in place. Roman was still throwing flames. However, Logan was able to dodge almost effortlessly.

‘How the hell are you doing this?!’ Roman growled, voice distorted by the flames he was still surrounded by.

‘I’m telepathic,’ Logan shrugged. ‘Any move you make, I’ll know before you do it. Just give up the fight, Roman.’

Roman scowled. ‘No! I will not back down! I am not weak! I’M NOT FUCKING WEAK! I am strong... And I can defeat you.’

Patton raised an eyebrow. Why would Roman feel the need to prove he wasn’t weak?

‘I am not calling you weak,’ Logan reassured, trying to calm the other down. ‘I am simply saying you cannot defeat me specifically.’

‘That’s basically calling me WEAK!’ As Roman yelled the final word, the room suddenly began to shake and tremor. ‘I will prove you wrong. I’LL SHOW YOU HOW STRONG I CAN BE!’

There was a cracking sound beneath Logan’s feet. He looked down to the see the floor breaking apart where he stood. He only just managed to leap out of the way as a jet of lava burst from the floor and into the air. Patton gasped, Virgil’s jaw dropped and even Roman looked surprised through his flaming face.

The jet of lava disappeared, however the splatter fell and landed on Logan, burning his arms and face. He let out a cry of pain.

‘See? See?!’ Roman yelled. ‘I am strong! I’ve proved it, haven’t I?!’

Logan didn’t respond, clutching the burns on his face, tears of pain falling. Roman took a step towards him.

‘I can do a lot worse than that.’

He held his flaming hands out in front of him, going to wrap them around Logan’s throat...

When a roar, a lion’s roar, erupted, making Roman freeze and turn back to his normal form in fear.

Roman, Logan and Virgil turned to Patton, who finished the roar. ‘Guys! Please stop this! We can’t turn against each other, that’s what Deceit wants! Yes, we are all very different, and that does mean we will have disagreements and arguments, but we can’t flat out try to kill each other. We need to work together as a team to escape.’

He turned to the pyrokinetic boy. ‘Roman, no matter what Depression said, you are not weak. None of us think you are. You’re extremely strong. Heck, it looks like you have lava powers as well that you didn’t even know about! And there’s a difference between arrogance and self-confidence. You shouldn’t worry that we hate you for having high self-esteem.’

He turned to the emo, still pinned against the wall. ‘Virgil, your input really is just as valuable as anyone else’s. Having a mental illness doesn’t make you any less important than any of us. And, yes, what your father did to you is horrible, but remember, you have a family right here. One that will love and _accept_ ,’ He turned at sent a look at Roman, ‘you.’

He turned the telepath. ‘Logan, you may have trouble expressing how you feel, but that doesn’t mean you’re emotionless. You _can_ feel, and I know it. You’re not broken or wrong, you just need a bit of help with expressing yourself; help that we can all offer.’

He went back to addressing all of them. ‘It’s our differences that make us so powerful when we work together. We’ve all been through so much and become so close. I started to think of you as brothers. Do brothers try to kill each other? No, they don- ’

‘Thor and Loki did,’ Virgil spoke up.

‘Scar and Mufasa,’ Roman added.

‘I mean in real life. That’s fiction,’ Patton smiled, taking the joking as a good sign.

‘I almost killed my brother, we’ve gone over that twice already,’ Logan added.

Patton sighed, chuckling slightly. ‘Are you good, then?’

‘Yeah, I think so...’ Roman nodded. Meanwhile, Logan let go of his grasp on both Patton and Virgil. Patton immediately ran up to the telepath to heal his burns. Meanwhile, Roman went up to Virgil.

‘I’m sorry,’ he apologised. ‘I said some... horrible, horrible things. I was the biggest asshole ever.’

‘Yeah, that seems accurate,’ Virgil nodded. ‘But I said some bad things too. You are an arrogant jerk, but I shouldn’t call you that to your face.’

‘I’m guessing that’s the closest thing I’m going to get to an apology, huh, sunshine?’

‘You got that right, Sir Sing A Lot.’

‘Hah, I like that nickname, and I’m gonna use it now!’

Virgil rolled his eyes and the two of them turned to Logan.

‘Sorry for bringing you into the fight,’ Virgil apologised. ‘I mean, you didn’t have time move both me and Patton, and he was closest to being burnt, so you had no choice. Plus, I have forcefields, so...’

‘And I’m sorry for calling you an emotionless robot,’ Roman added.

‘It is alright,’ Logan replied. ‘I’m sorry, too. I believe I went a bit too far with that.’

‘You went too far? Did you see me?’ Roman cut across.

‘Speaking of which, any reason you didn’t tell us you have lava powers?’ Virgil asked.

‘I actually had no idea I had them, this is new for me,’ Roman replied. ‘This is awesome!’

‘It’s also something you might want to get control over,’ Logan added. ‘I’d rather not have my face burnt off.’

‘Yeah, I’ll get the hang of it.’

‘All done,’ Patton removed his hand from the final burn that had been on Logan’s face.

The door of the room suddenly opened. The four boys got to their feet, ready to defend themselves, and each other, if need be.

‘It’s okay, it’s just me,’ Thomas reassured as he stepped inside. ‘Remy’s putting everyone to sleep. It’s time to get out of here.’

* * * * *

Remy pulled the door of Depression’s room closed, smirking. One down, two to go.

He made his way down the hall, towards the common room. He poked his head round the door, spotting Psycho on the couch, who was watching Scream on the TV. His back was to the door, unable to see Remy peering at him.

Remy took a deep breath before tiptoeing into the common room. He made his way up to the back of couch, reaching out to tap Psycho on the shoulder...

When Psycho disappeared, and Remy felt the blade of a knife at his throat.

‘Ooooh!’ Psycho giggled. ‘The boss isn’t gonna like this...’


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second escape attempt is underway.

‘Are we there yet?’

‘Ssssh!’

‘Geez, I was just asking...’

Thomas led the way was the made their way down the corridors, towards Deceit’s office.

‘How did he even get the money to build a place so big?’ Virgil asked.

‘His parents were very wealthy,’ Thomas replied.

‘Were?’ Patton questioned.

‘He had Psycho kill them. All the money was left to Deceit in their will,’ Thomas explained. ‘It was that that initially alerted me that Deceit was not all he appeared. I continued to monitor him and soon found out his true plan. I knew then I had to stop it. So here I am.’

‘Whenever I went round his house, he told me his parents had laundered money and were on the run,’ Logan spoke up. ‘I didn’t think the truth would be worse.’

‘How did you ever trust that guy?’ Roman asked.

Logan sighed. ‘He was the only person to ever treat me as a human. My family acted like I never existed, as you already know. No else cared either.’

‘We care,’ Patton replied. ‘All of us!’ He wrapped his arms around Logan, who immediately looked uncomfortable and flustered. Patton laughed at Logan’s face before pulling away.

‘We’re almost there,’ Thomas called over his shoulder.

They walked a bit further before soon arriving at the familiar corridor with a single door. Deceit’s office.

‘This is it,’ Roman grinned. ‘We’re finally getting out of here.’

‘Might not want to say that just yet, don’t wanna jinx it,’ Virgil replied.

Thomas tried the door, only finding it to be locked. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key and slotted it into the keyhole. There was a click as he turned it and the door swung open.

Roman lit a fire in his hand, illuminating the room.

‘Deja vu,’ Virgil mumbled.

And so, the four of them began searching the room for teleportation crystals. Wait, four?

Patton looked up from the drawer he was searching and re-counted how many people were currently in the room. There was himself, Thomas, Roman, Virgil...

‘Guys...’ he spoke, drawing everyone’s attention to him. ‘Where’s Logan?’

* * * * *

‘This is it. We’re finally getting out of here.’

As Roman’s words were spoken, a pair of arms grabbed Logan around the waist. Before he could cry out, one of his hands suddenly clamped itself over his mouth and he was dragged away.

He was pulled down multiple corridors until being dragged through a doorway, which was shut behind them. The kidnapper let go of Logan, and the prisoner finally was able to pull his hand away from his mouth.

‘Logan...’ Deceit’s voice said, soothingly.

‘This doesn’t make any sense,’ Logan cut across. ‘Remy... he was meant to- ’

‘I had a hunch he was helping you after the interviews,’ Deceit replied. ‘I told Psycho to keep his guard up, and he caught Sleep before he could be knocked unconscious.’

‘Did he...?’

‘No, Sleep was not killed. He is simply trapped in one of the cells. Soon, your three friends will join him.’

Logan let out a slight sigh of relief. He said three, so he still didn’t know Thomas was helping. But wait. He only said Patton, Roman and Virgil would join Remy in the cells... what about Logan? Why didn’t Deceit say he’d be locked away as well? Logan wished he could read Deceit’s mind, he wanted to know what that snake was thinking. Not to mention, the quiet was so unnerving, he was so used to the constant background noise.

‘What about me?’ he asked.

‘Logan, look, I hate this. Having to hurt and trap you... it’s killing me,’ Deceit sighed. He looked Logan in the eye, genuine pain in his eyes. ‘I don’t want to have to do this. Please...’ He took Logan’s hands in his. ‘I promise you, I do not want to bring anyone harm. I’m only being forced to do so because the world will not conform. People are so stubborn and narrow-minded. They can’t stand to even think about other views, immediately shooting them down because everyone wants to be right. Logan, you’re better than that. I want you to think carefully about the world I am proposing, and how it will help so many people.

‘The world is facing problems of overpopulation, everyone knows this. While a cull of Normals who won’t conform may seems barbaric and horrible, it will actually bring salvation. With less people, there’ll be more resources for those remaining.

‘Another thing that will be better is jobs. We may be high school age, but one day, we’ll be trying to get jobs. If society stays as it is, we could get as many qualifications as we can, and still end up working a shitty retail job. That’s how it works for our generation. However, my society will have less people, more jobs. People will actually be able to live sustainable lives, poverty will be eradicated.

‘But listen to me. I’m here talking about the wider world. You’re probably wondering about what my world will mean for you. Well, that’s easy to answer. Because, well, I’m doing this for you.’

‘What? For me?’ Logan asked. ‘Why on earth would you think this is what I want? Mass genocide?’

‘It’s not want you want. It’s what you need,’ Deceit replied. ‘You’re parents will be punished, of course, for how they treated you. And, Lo, you will not be cast aside anymore. You will be a teacher, the most famous in the world. You will teach other Gifted to harness their abilities, you will give people the knowledge to survive in this world. Everyone will know you, the smartest person on earth. And that’s not all. As I said before, I will help you with feeling. I love you, and I will help you love me back. You say it’s just a chemical reaction, but if that’s the case, why is it so amazing?’

‘I...’ Logan didn’t know what to say. His mind was foggy. Now that he thought about it, the world Deceit was proposing would be...perfect.

‘Logan, will you be my partner in crime?’

‘...Yes. I will.’

A smile appeared on Deceit’s face. He wrapped his arms around Logan’s waist and leant down, making their lips meet. Logan was shocked at first, but he soon closed his eyes, returning the kiss.

Eventually they pulled away. Deceit looked down in to Logan’s eyes.

Logan’s now yellow, slitted eyes.

A small smirk appeared on Deceit’s face.

_I have full control._

* * * * *

‘Logan! Where are you?! Logan!’

Patton ran through the corridors, calling for his nerdy friend. He, Thomas, Roman and Virgil had split up to look for him. Well, Roman and Virgil had gone off together. Roman insisted, saying it was in case Virgil had another panic attack, but Patton _knew_.

But now was not time for shipping! He had to find Logan.

He turned into yet another corridor. He had no idea where he was right now, this facility was like a maze. As he headed down the long, empty hall, he passed a door, which he heard voices from the other side of. His heart leapt. Logan! He’d found him! He grabbed the door handle and tugged it open.

He gasped.

Logan was there, and so was Deceit. And the two of them were kissing.

The two pulled away, looking into each other’s eyes.

‘God, you’re an asshole,’ Logan sighed. ‘But you’re my asshole.’

Patton let out a strangled sob, making his presence known to the other two.

‘Patton!’ Logan gasped. ‘I can explain...’

‘What did you do to him?!’ Patton growled at Deceit.

‘He didn’t do anything, Patton. This was my decision,’ Logan replied. ‘Look, Deceit’s right.’

‘What?! Right?! How is what he’s doing right?! He kidnapped us, taking us away from our homes and families so he can use us to take over the world before killing millions of people! How is that morally good?!’

‘It’s not about morals, Patton. It’s about making a sacrifice for the greater good.’

‘Greater good? Greater good?! This is no greater good! How could you do this?! I trusted you like a brother!’

Patton never usually got this angry or yelled this much. But then again, he’d never felt like this before: betrayed, heartbroken...

‘Patton, please just try to see things from Deceit’s point of view,’ Logan continued, ‘He is right, I see it now. You need to as well. Look, I don’t want you to all be imprisoned and hurt again. You’re still my family.’

‘Family? If this what you’re choosing, then we’re not even friends, let alone family,’ Patton replied. ‘You aren’t, you never were, and you never will be.’

It felt to Logan like he had just been punched in the gut. He took a shaky breath before narrowing his eyes.

He then used his telekinesis and slammed Patton against the wall.

Patton let out a cry of pain which turned into sobs. What had happened to Logan? Why was he doing this if Deceit had truly done nothing to him?

The door of the room suddenly burst open, Roman and Virgil running in.

‘What’s going on?’ Roman asked. ‘We heard a crash.’

‘Logan!’ Virgil sighed in relief at the sight of their thought missing friend.

‘Guys, don’t trust him! He’s gone dark!’ Patton called from where he was still collapsed on the ground.

‘What- ?’

Before Roman could finish, he, Virgil and Patton all had their own hands clamped over their mouths.

‘Logic, would you mind...?’ Deceit requested of Logan.

The three prisoners were lifted from the ground, making them unable to flee.

‘Let’s take them to the cells, then we had better get you a change of clothes. You shouldn’t be forced to wear a prisoner’s uniform if you’re no longer a prisoner,’ Deceit explained, wrapping one arm around Logan’s waist.

Five minutes later, Patton, Roman and Virgil found themselves back in the cells they started this whole adventure trapped in, only this time, they were with Remy, not Logan.

‘I am so sorry,’ Remy apologised the moment he saw them. ‘I fucked up, Psycho saw me.’

‘It’s fine, but, Patton, what the hell was going on back there?’ Roman asked. ‘Why on earth was Logan doing Deceit’s bidding?!’

Patton didn’t respond. He just started sobbing, falling to his knees.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas realises the big problem with Logan being on the Dark Side

Logan fixed his tie and adjusted his glasses before looking at his new outfit in the mirror. Deceit had fitted him with a black polo shirt, black pants and a yellow necktie. It was perfect for him.

He didn’t notice his yellow eyes as he stared at his reflection.

‘It suits you,’ Deceit commented, wrapping his arms around Logan’s waist as he came and stood behind him. He gave Logan a kiss on his neck. ‘We should probably let the other three know you’re working with us now. Don’t want them to hurt you by accident.’

Deceit took Logan’s hand, pulling him from the room. They went down the corridor to the common room, where Thomas, Psycho and Depression were sat.

‘Boys, meet the newest addition to the team,’ Deceit introduced, gesturing to Logan as he stepped into the room.

Thomas’ face fell upon seeing Logan stood their in his black and yellow clothing, matching Deceit’s. He’d known Patton, Roman, Virgil and Remy had been locked back up, but he didn’t know this! Logan had succumbed to the darkness...

‘Now he’s joined us, you are no longer permitted to hurt him. In fact, you must take any orders he gives you. Being my boyfriend, Logic’s automatically higher up in the group’s hierarchy,’ Deceit continued to explain.

‘Boyfriend?’ Logan turned to Deceit. ‘So it’s definitely set in stone?’

‘Of course,’ the snake responded, planting a kiss on Logan’s lips. Thomas had to try really hard to stop himself from retching at the site.

Speaking of which, when Logan pulled away, his eyes met Thomas’. He turned back to Deceit.

‘Can I talk to you in private quickly?’

‘Okay. Let’s head to my office.’

The two stepped out into the corridor. Thomas was flooded with fear. He got to his feet.

‘I... I should probably go and monitor the prisoners.’

He rushed through the doorway, before running down the corridor.

*     *     *     *     *

‘What is it you wished to tell me about?’ Deceit inquired as he closed the door of his office behind him and his boyfriend.

‘It’s Thom- ’ Logan paused before correcting himself. ‘It’s Sanders. He’s a double-agent. He’s working to help the others to escape.’

Deceit growled. ‘I should have known. He hasn’t changed at all since... How about we use this to our advantage next time they try to escape?’

Logan looked at Deceit with a curious expression. ‘Go on.’

*     *     *     *     *

Thomas shuffled nervously on his feet after he input the code, waiting for the door to open. It wasn’t long before it slid aside. He ran in, pushing it shut behind him.

The sight that met him was a sorry one. Patton was curled up on a bed, face wet with tears. Virgil was sat in the corner, shaking. Roman was pacing, a furious expression on his face. Remy was the only relatively calm, where he was leaning against the wall, staring at his feet. Upon the sight of Thomas, however, he looked up.

‘Thomas, it’s Logan. He- ’

‘Yeah, I know,’ Thomas nodded.

‘That traitorous, deceitful BASTARD!’ Roman growled, his eyes flickering from their normal green to an orangey-red colour and back repeatedly. ‘I should have killed him back when we were fighting!’

‘You were fighting...? Ugh, never mind that now! We don’t have time! look, what happened to Logan is why I came. We need to leave. Now.’

‘Why?’ Remy asked.

‘Well, Logan’s working for them now, and he knows I’m helping you, and I’m pretty sure he’s literally telling Deceit right at this very moment,’ Thomas explained. ‘It’s now or never.’

‘But what about Logan?’ Virgil asked. ‘Shouldn’t we do something to, I dunno, try and “unevil” him.’

‘Fuck him.’

Everyone turned to Patton, all of them clearly shocked.

‘If he wants to be with that snake, then he can burn in fucking hell. We’re leaving without him.’

‘Um... o-okay,’ Thomas nodded, slightly creeped out. ‘Come on, let’s go. We’re gonna have to wing it, no plan this time. Come on.’

Virgil and Patton stood up from where they were sat, and the five of them made their way to the door. Thomas pulled it open and poked his head out, looking left and right.

‘The coast is clear. C’mon!’

Or so he thought...

*     *     *     *     *

‘What do you think? Look convincing?’

Deceit stood before Logan, however he no longer looked like himself. The snake part of his face was normal. He had brown eyes, brown hair dyed purple, a lab coat and a grey cap. He looked exactly like Thomas.

‘It’s perfect,’ Logan nodded. ‘I think this is the first time I’ve ever actually seen you shapeshift.’

‘The coast is clear. C’mon!’

Deceit and Logan turned around at the voice and poked their heads around the corner. Thomas and the others were leaving the cells.

‘Just as I suspected...’ Deceit smirked. ‘You ready, Logic?’

Logan nodded, determination in his yellow eyes. He raised his hand and flicked his wrist. The door to the cells slammed shut. The group of prisoners spun around to face it. Whilst they were looking away, Deceit clenched his fist and Thomas’ hand was forced over his mouth. Logan outstretched his own hand and Thomas was pulled back towards them.

‘Mmm mmf?!’ Thomas’ voice was muffled by his hand.

‘Sssh...’ Deceit smirked, placing a finger to his lips. He then turned and ran back to the group of prisoners, who had not noticed the switch up. ‘We should probably get moving, they must be close. Come on, this way!’

And so, the wolf in sheep’s clothing led the unknowing group down the halls of the facility, smirking to himself in pride. He glanced back at Logan, who gave him a nod before turning and leading a helpless Thomas away.

Deceit had one on his side, and it wouldn’t be long until the others joined too. He had won.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update. I had a school trip and I couldn't bring any electrical devices, not even my phone, so writing was no option. But I'm back!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan starts escaping Deceit's control, while the others decide what their next moves are going to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains Implied Rape/Non-con.

‘What was that?’

Virgil was the first to spin around upon hearing the loud bang, the others spinning around after him. Their eyes darted around, trying to find the source of the noise.

‘We should probably get moving, they must be close. Come on, this way!’ Thomas yelled.

The group turned back and followed Thomas through the corridors. None of them heard the muffled cries from around the corner.

Left, left, right, left, right, right, right, left...

‘Here we are!’ Thomas sprinted ahead to a door at the very end of a corridor, beginning to punch a code into a keypad.

Virgil raised an eyebrow. ‘I thought Deceit’s office was in the middle of a corridor...’

‘I figured it’d be safer to head to a storeroom to get the teleportation crystals than to go to Deceit’s office, given as that’s where he caught you guys last time. He’ll expect us to go there,’ Thomas replied.

Virgil turned to Remy, an eyebrow raised. Remy just shrugged before whispering, ‘Gurl, this whole place is like a maze, I gave up on memorising the layout ages ago. I have no idea if that’s a supply closet. But why are you doubting Thomas?’

‘I dunno, something just seems off about him...’ Virgil replied, narrowing his eyes at Thomas. ‘Maybe Deceit has him under mind control, like I think he does with Logan.’

‘Don’t say his name,’ Patton hissed. ‘We’re not going to mention that traitor.’

Virgil raised an eyebrow at Patton as Thomas finished punching in the code.

‘Come on, get inside!’

Patton led the way into the cupboard, closely followed by Roman, Remy and finally Virgil. However, they found themselves, not in a storeroom or supply closet, but stood on grass, and orange sky above them.

‘What are we doing outside?’ Roman muttered. ‘I think you got the wrong door, Thom- ‘

_SLAM!_

The group turned around the find the door shut, Thomas peering at them through the window, a wide grin on his face that looked twisted. Before the four outside could say anything, Thomas’ appearance started shifting before their very eyes. His purple hair turned brown, his clothes changed from a white lab coat and Steven Universe shirt to black and yellow coat and capelet. As scales appeared on the left side of his face and his left eye turned yellow, he placed a black bowler hat on his head.

‘Appearances can be deceiving.’

‘I knew there was something off!’ Virgil growled.

‘If only you weren’t a coward and spoke up about it,’ Deceit smirked, adjusting his gloves. ‘But instead you kept quiet and now you’re going to starve out there. Well, unless you come willingly. It’s your choice, join us or die.’

‘Where’s Thomas?!’ Patton yelled.

‘Logic’s taking care of him,’ Deceit replied, revelling is the expression on Patton’s face at the name. ‘What’s the matter, Patton? Would it make you feel better to know that I’ve never seen him happier? Or that I was hoping to take our relationship to the next level tonight?’

Patton had started shaking. Deceit turned back to address the group.

‘Just call out when you decide to join me. I’ll have Psycho wait here so he can hear and come get me.’ He turned and walked away.

He made his way through the corridors which he knew like the back of his hand. Soon, he came to the door Logan was stepping out of.

‘Oh, salutations, Deceit. I have secured Thomas in- ‘

Logan wasn’t able to finish as Deceit pressed their lips together. Logan melted into the kiss, closing his eyes and placing his hands on Deceit’s shoulders. Deceit’s hands, meanwhile, drifted up to Logan’s tie, pulling it loose. Logan didn’t notice this, but he did notice when Deceit started unbuttoning his polo shirt.

‘What are you doing?’ he asked, pulling away and stepping back.

Deceit didn’t respond immediately, he was too surprised. Logan was supposed to be under his complete control, he shouldn’t be able to hesitate or question him. It was only then Deceit noticed Logan’s eyes, flickering between yellow and their normal blue.

Logan... He was somehow beginning to break out of the mind control. But how?! Deceit had spent years perfecting his powers to be as strong as they could. And his powers became stronger the closer he was with the person he was trying to control. He and Logan were boyfriends, they’d kissed! It should have enough to keep him under mind control.

Deceit had no choice. He may have been joking when he was speaking to Patton before, but he needed to regain his control over Logan, and he needed the control to be stronger.

‘I’m sorry about that, Lo, forgive me,’ Deceit finally replied. He held a hand out to Logan. Logan paused before taking it. Deceit turned and dragged Logan through the corridors, occasionally looking over his shoulder at the other, watching as his eyes started to flicker to yellow less and less often.

_I’m running out of time..._

Finally, he reached the bright yellow door he was looking for. He opened it, stepping aside, letting Logan go in first before he did. He closed and locked the door behind him.

‘But... I’m not sorry about this.’

‘What do you...? Deceit, what’s going on? Deceit, I- Deceit, NO!’

*   *   *   *   *

‘What are we going to do?!’ Roman was pacing again. ‘There’s no way we are joining them, but we can’t just stay out here in the wilderness and starve!’

‘You know I have a phone, right?’ Remy asked. ‘I can just call an Uber.’

‘...ALL THIS TIME YOU COULD JUST CALL FOR HELP AND YOU NEVER SAID SO?!’

Remy looked at Roman over his sunglasses. ‘You think I was gonna say that when there was a chance of Deceit or one of the others overhearing? No ma’am.’

Roman sighed. ‘Fine. Call an Uber or the police or something. Let’s get the fuck out of here.’

‘Not yet!’ Patton stood from where he had been sat, conversing with a squirrel. ‘We need to save Thomas first!’

‘And Logan,’ Virgil added.

‘...What?’

Virgil sighed. ‘Patton, I know you’re heartbroken, and it’s probably making it hard for you to think straight – and don’t deny it, it’s obvious you have a crush on him – but I honestly don’t think Logan would have just turned to Deceit’s side of his own free will. I mean, I doubt someone so logical and based in fact would just ditch us for someone rooted in deception and bending the truth. Thomas told us that mind control is one of Deceit’s powers, is it really that outlandish that he’d be controlling Logan?’

‘Virgil does have a point...’ Roman said. ‘The change of sides did come from nowhere.’

‘B-But...’

‘Look, let’s go and save Thomas and check on Logan while we’re there. If I’m right, we can help him, if I’m wrong, we leave him. At least let us check,’ Virgil asked. He placed his hands on an unsure Patton’s shoulders. ‘We can save him. We can bring him back. Bring him home.’

Patton looked Virgil’s face over before nodding. ‘O-okay.’

‘So, what’s the plan?’ Roman asked. ‘We can’t just wander inside.’ He turned to Remy. ‘Is there another back entrance or something? Or vent shafts we can crawl through?’

‘All entrances are monitored by cameras. No mics, luckily, but cameras. Cameras were added to the vents as well after you tried to make your first escape,’ Remy explained. ‘This door’s our only way in.’

‘So, we’re screwed,’ Roman sighed, rubbing his temple. ‘Unless you two have any ideas.’

Patton shook his head, having gone back to talking with the squirrel. Virgil however, didn’t respond. He was looking around, a concerned and confused look on his face.

‘Did... did you guys hear that?’

‘Hear what?’ Roman asked.

‘I... I heard a scream...’ He paused. ‘There it was again! I-It’s saying something... “Stop, please! I’m too young, I don’t consent! Please, you’re hurting me! I thought- ”’

Virgil trailed off. The other three’s eyes widened as they saw Virgil’s irises suddenly glow bright purple.

To Virgil, however, the surroundings melted away to black. He couldn’t see anything around him except himself. And he wasn’t even himself, he was a a purple glowing ghost-like figure. But then he suddenly could see another figure, this one dark blue.

‘-you loved me! Just stop, please STOP! STOP, DECEIT! STOP!’

Virgil blinked back into reality.

‘Logan’s in trouble. We need to help him. Now.’

‘What? Virgil, what’s going on? What happened to your eyes?’ Patton asked, visibly confused.

‘I... I saw Logan. He was yelling, I don’t know why. He was scared. Really, really scared, I... I could feel his fear. Terrified...’

There was a long pause as the others took a moment to comprehend that apparently Virgil had the ability to sense others’ fear, and to take in the fact that Logan was in danger.

Roman turned and slammed his fist against the door. ‘Psycho! You there?’

‘Huh? Yeah! What do you little shits want?’

‘We concede! We’ll join you!’

‘No funny business?’

‘None at all! We’re with you now.’

‘Great! I’ll get the boss!’

As there was the sound of Psycho speeding off, Roman turned back to the others, who were staring at him incredulously.

‘Remy said this door is our only way in. We pretend we’re with them, we save Thomas and Logan, then we either sneak out, or fight our way out.’

*   *   *   *   *

Deceit had just left after Psycho started slamming on the door. Logan was alone.

He was alone in the bed, tear tracks running down his face, hugging the duvet and biting his lip. He was in pain, physically and emotionally.

No, wait, he can’t be. He doesn’t have emotions.

But he was scared before, so he must be able to feel.

But Deceit said he couldn’t feel.

Logan didn’t know what to do. It felt like a war in his brain. He started trembling, tears falling again from his blue eyes. Despite the pain, he got to his feet. He pulled back on his underwear and jeans. He noticed a pen and notepad on the bedside and ripped a page from the book. On it he wrote two words before slipping it in his pocket.

Logan blinked and his eyes were yellow.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morality, Princey, Anxiety and Sleep are welcomed to Deceit's cause.

Psycho was leading the group down the corridors. Roman was behind him, while Virgil and Patton stood side by side just behind him, and Remy took up the rear.

‘I guess I should start calling you by your codenames now, huh?’ Psycho asked. ‘So, we got Princey, Anxiety, Morality and Sleep.’

‘Where exactly are we going?’ Roman asked.

‘Deceit asked we meet him and the others in the training hall,’ Psycho replied.

‘Training hall?’ Virgil asked.

‘It’s where we train in combat, as well as strengthen our powers. Don’t know why there of all places.’

They continued down the corridors, Virgil growing more and more nervous as they walked. Then, finally, they reached the doors, the sign above it reading ‘TRAINING HALL’. As they were led inside, they found Deceit and Depression stood in the centre of the room. Deceit smiled as the group came and stood opposite him.

‘So you finally came to your senses? Good,’ he nodded. ‘So you already know your codenames, but we need to go over other things. First- ‘

Deceit was interrupted as the door on the wall behind him, Psycho and Depression opened. Logan stepped in, fumbling to do up his tie. ‘S-sorry I’m late! I-I was- ‘ He paused, staring at the four people he had used to call friends. ‘What are they doing here?’

‘They’ve finally joined our cause, Starlight,’ Damien replied, using a nickname he had given Logan during their time alone earlier.

Both Patton and Roman flinched at the name, sharing a glance. Both of them watched Steven Universe, and recognised the name as the one White Diamond gave Pink Diamond.

Logan looked surprised, eyes widening slightly as he looked back at the four. However, his face fell and he went back to his stoic, emotionless expression. ‘I see...’

Virgil’s heart thudded in his chest. Roman had made an oversight when coming up with their current plan. They needed to pretend to be on the side of the bad guys, but that hit a road block with one of the bad guys being telepathic and able to read their minds and see their true intent!

Logan kept his eyes on the four of them as he went and stood beside Deceit. The snake wrapped an arm around Logan’s waist and planted a kiss on his neck. Patton felt his stomach churn at the sight.

‘As I was saying before Logic came in, we need to go over some things. Mainly, your roles. Princey, you will be working with Psycho in training your powers, as you are both on the offensive. You’ll be our key fighters in the army, and train future recruits who have offensive powers. Anxiety, you’ll do the same only with defensive powers and you’ll work with Depression. Morality, you’ll be the medic when we start taking over. Since there’s not much to do until then, you’ll be doing other things. Cooking, cleaning, things like that. Finally, Sleep, I’m gonna need you to keep guard over Sanders. Logic and I will take you to him now. Everyone, get to it.’

Psycho zoomed up to Roman, grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him away to the far left of the training hall. Depression went up to Virgil and dragged him over to the far right of the hall. Deceit turned to Patton, pointing to the door behind him. ‘Kitchen’s down the hall to the right. Start work on a celebratory feast for tomorrow. Oh, and before you go, let Depression know he needs to remove the tracking device on Anxiety’s ankle.’

Patton nodded, glancing at Logan as he went up to Depression before leaving the room. Logan on the other hand, turned to Deceit. ‘Dee, I need to tell you- ‘

‘It can wait, Starlight. For now, we’ll show Sleep to Sanders. Actually, while we’re there, I was hoping you could do something for me...’

As Remy was led through the corridors, Deceit whispered to Logan until they reached a door covered with many locks covering it. Deceit pulled out a ring of keys and started to unlock the door. He turned to Remy as he did so. ‘Stay out here. Anyone tries to break in to save Sanders, put them to sleep.’

Remy nodded. Deceit finished opening the door and stepped aside. ‘Go ahead, Starlight.’

Logan nodded and stepped inside. Thomas was sat on the ground, leaning against the wall, a chain around his leg. Logan crouched down in front of him.

Now Thomas was up close to Logan, he could see something he didn’t notice before. Thomas could see Logan’s eyes, his bright yellow eyes.

‘Oh my god... h-he got you... Logan, listen to me, I know you’re still in there somewhere. You need to fight it, okay? I know you’re strong enough to, just fight back, get him out of your mind, you need to get him ou- !’

Thomas froze as Logan put his hand on the prisoner’s forehead. The next thing he knew, memories were flashing before his eyes.

Two bloody bodies, limp on the ground.

Yellow eyes and red eyes.

The realisation he’s alone...

Logan’s face remained passive as Thomas screamed, tears streaming down his face. Outside, Deceit was smirking as Remy felt his blood curdle at the screeches and begs for the pain to stop. He swallowed the lump in his throat before croaking out a question. ‘I, uh... Can I go to the bathroom?’

Deceit nodded, though it seemed he wasn’t fully listening. Remy accepted the answer, however, and ran off. He knew the bathroom was next to the kitchen – hygienic, I know – and so he could hopefully pop in to see Patton and talk about what their next move to save Thomas would be, without arousing suspicion about being in a completely different corridor to the one he’d said he’d be in.

He ran through the corridors before arriving at the correct one, opening the door to the kitchen and stepping inside. ‘Patton?’

Patton’s familiar freckled face poked out from inside a cupboard. ‘Oh, hi, Remy! What brings you here?’

‘So, um, I know where Thomas is. We can’t do anything yet because Logan and Deceit are there, but we need to figure out what our next move is going to be.’

Patton nodded. ‘True, but how do we plan without the others? They need to know as well.’

‘Shit, right...’

‘Language!’

‘But when are we gonna meet up with them?’

Patton was about to shrug, when Deceit’s voice suddenly echoed through the room, coming from a loud speaker. ‘Everyone to your rooms. Early night so you all have the energy to train all day tomorrow. Princey, Anxiety, Morality, Sleep will show you too your room.’

‘Well, I guess we know how we’re going to meet up,’ Remy replied. ‘Come on, let’s go to the Training Hall and get the others, and see how well I know my way around this place... I think it’s a left turn out here...?’

*      *      *      *      *

Everyone in the facility had retired to their rooms. Roman, Virgil and Patton all shared one, as did Remy, Psycho and Depression. Meanwhile, Logan and Deceit were curled up together in Deceit’s room. As Logan felt sleep take over him, his eyelids suddenly snapped back open as he remembered something important.

‘Dee... Psst, Dee, wake up...’

His boyfriend opened his eyes, yawning. ‘Hm...? What is it, Starlight?’

‘I need to tell you something. It’s about... those four.’

Deceit was immediately sat up, wide awake and his expression serious, all his attention on Logan. ‘What about them?’

‘I tried to tell you earlier, but you made me go in to see to Sanders, so I couldn’t...’ Logan muttered, eyes downcast.

Deceit just lifted his partner’s chin, so they were looking each other in the eyes. ‘Logan. What do you need to tell me about them?

Logan opened his mouth to respond. However, he couldn’t help but feel a little strange. Like there was a voice in the very back of his head and it was screaming at him to not say anything, to not call out Patton, Virgil, Roman and Remy. However, Logan couldn’t deceive Deceit. He pushed the voice away, ignoring it, and told Deceit the truth. ‘... They’re not on our side. They’re pretending so they can save Sanders and break out of here.’

Deceit’s face twisted into a frown, eyebrows furrowed, eyes blazing. ‘I should have known... We’ll be setting up a surprise for them tomorrow morning.’

*      *      *      *      *

A loud exclamation from the loudspeakers woke Patton, Virgil, Roman and Remy the next morning, Remy finding Psycho and Depression absent from his room.

‘Attention! Morality, Anxiety, Princey, Sleep! We know the truth... If you want to escape, you may, and take Sanders with you. However, there is one condition. Come to the Training hall at eleven o’clock sharp. If you can successfully defeat myself, Logic, Psycho and Depression, you go. If you can’t... well, it’s either join us or die.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last line just got 'Join Us and Die' from The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals stuck in my head.


End file.
